Favoured By Gods
by Muslin
Summary: A journey from innocense to sin: lust, hunger for power, demonic desire, addiction. Is the human spirit strong enough, or will this frail yet defiant young woman be consumed by it all? And is love even a possibility? A villager turned demon hunter. Set before Wrath of the Lick King, where Illidan Stormrage is still alive.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I

"But mother!..."

"I said no! Now go! GO!"

"Sir! We can't turn it! We're too close!"

"Turn the sails I said! Do it, or be ready to never see the sun again!"

"She's not turnin' fast enough sir! We're gonna hit the rocks!"

"Throw out the oars! Hold on, men!"

"God, save us…"

The sun had just peaked over the horizon. It colored the calm waves of the Veiled Sea with the colors of the dawn. But what they carried towards the shore had not been seen, not ever, by this serene location.

Tenin Nuada was so startled that he dropped his fishing rod in the water. Never before had he witnessed a sight like the one before his eyes now.

He had come all the way down to the roots of Teldrassil just to fish. Somehow, all the goodies where winding up down there. And when the wave of debris washed up, he was horrified. Tenin had never seen a ship, neither of the Horde, nor of the Alliance – so horribly broken. Hundreds upon hundreds of pieces were floating in the water, without the barest hint of a survivor.

"In the name of Elune… this is… must have been a nightmare…"

His eyes examined every piece of what barely resembled a ship. He found it to be human, the flag of the Alliance being the only thing in one part. Then Tenin opened his mouth to gasp, but the sound didn't find its way out – along the banner he saw the small figure of a girl.

Without a second thought he jumped off the root and started swimming with all his speed.

Within a short time he had managed to drag the wreckage's only survivor to the shore. Tenin laid her down on the sand and sat to catch his breath. Then he looked at the girl. She was human, and looked very young, almost a child. She was barely breathing and he knew that if she wasn't properly taken care of, her last day on Azeroth would be this one.

"But I don't know how to help her! And the nearest village is three days away!" He began to think of a way to get help, fast. He was alone and had no one to send, too. Luckily, as he then remembered, his sister Sanaha, a very capable priest, upon her visit to the Eastern Kingdoms had been trained to create portals. She lacked the ease and accuracy with which mages could create such gateways, but the case called for speed rather than ease. Then Tenin's hope crumbled – his sister currently resided in the capital, attending to her studies. He cupped his face I his hands and sighed.

Meanwhile the girl had turned much more pale. Tenin touched her face – she was very cold and was breathing ever so lightly. He was about to curse out loud when suddenly, he heard someone shouting from the distance.

"Tenin! Are you _ever _going to stop?! Wait up already!" It was his sister.

"Sanaha? What are you doing way down here?"

"Ohh…" Sanaha leaned on the huge roots to catch her breath. After a few moments she took a deep breath and answered. "I know it's insane, but I've been following you for three whole days, ever since you left the capital. I shouted after you, I sent firebolts, but who's to see! Our boy is either both deaf and blind or I'm invisible! You're needed in Darnassus and if you don't…"

"Sanaha! Be quiet for a minute, won't you…" He interrupted his sister's angry tirade but she had really gotten into scolding him.

"Don't you silence me! Your master is getting impatient and if you fail to show up once more, I will, yet again, have to be the one to save your skin! But if you continue to keep your ears shut, I vow I will…"

"SANAHA! Look!"

Sanaha wasn't pleased to have her rants interrupted but she looked to the ground and finally noticed the girl.

"Praise Elune, is she alright? Why didn't you tell me straightforward?" she said. "Well, it isn't like I didn't try" Tenin said sarcastically. But his sister didn't notice him, she had knelt before the girl and was touching her throat. She shook her head worriedly.

Tenin watched as she waved her hand over the girl's face and whispered words in an unknown language.

Suddenly opened her eyes and started couching out water. Tenin quickly knelt down next to her to support her back.

After a few moments, the girl, who seemed not to have noticed the two night elves beside her, looked at them with panic. She struggled out of Tenin's hands, jumped up to her feet and started screaming. Tenin and Sanaha exchanged glances which said: "She's mad, isn't she?", but there was a good reason for the girl's fright – she had never seen night elves before.

"Stand back, don't touch me you!... You…" she shouted and then eyed them with a frown.

Tenin decided to act friendly and tried to calm her down. "It's alright. We will not hurt you. But, tell us, what has happened to you?"

The girl frowned even more and looked at him with confusion. "What… did you say?" she asked.

Tenin turned to his sister. "Why doesn't she understand me? Has she had brain damage or something?" His sister rolled her glowing eyes. "Because you spoke in Darnassian! How do you expect a human to know it? And apparently, she's never seen elves before."

Tenin felt a bit embarrassed. "I knew that… I was just making sure you knew." For a moment they'd forgotten the girl standing near them who had yet to understand a word they'd said.

"What in the world are you creatures saying?" she asked impatiently.

Sanaha sighed and asked the girl in common: "Don't be alarmed, we won't hurt you. Tell us, what's happened to you, how did you end up on this beach?"

The girl hesitated to answer. She looked round nervously. "Well… I was traveling on a ship with my mother. We set out from Menethil with some ambassadors on board. We were supposed to reach Theramore at nightfall but those damned sailors had their charts wrong! We ended up being drawn over by the currents just past Moonglade, was it… Then this terrible storm started… I was so frightened… All I remember is that the captain was shouting to us to hold on to something. Then the ship crashed into something, but I doubt it was rocks, it's crazy, but as much as I saw, what we crashed into looked like giant roots, I think… and I ended up here."

When she finished, she looked at Sanaha for a reaction. She smiled to her brother and he smiled back. He turned to the girl.

"What is your name, little one?" he asked in common.

"S-Siana" she stuttered.

Sanaha smiled to her. "Well, Siana, I believe you owe thanks to my brother, Tenin", she pointed to her brother, "because he is the one who rescued you from a watery grave"

Siana's eyes widened. She looked at Tenin with curiosity and he returned her gaze. She stepped unsurely towards him – in her eyes he appeared a giant, her head barely reached his shoulder. She stretched her hand to him. "Thanks, I think" she said. Tenin smiled and nodded. Siana felt odd because he didn't take her hand, so she stretched it closer to him. He still wasn't taking it and was looking at her with confusion. She grew impatient.

"Take my hand!"

Tenin was still confused. "Why?" He began stretching his hand towards hers anyway.

"Well, that's what people do when they have something to be thankful for." she explained. "We shake hands."

She took his hand and shook it. "Thank you!" she said again.

Then she turned her eyes to Sanaha, expecting something. Sanaha came close to her and unsurely stretched her hand with a smile. "Welcome to Teldrassil, little one!"

"I'm not little – um, thanks." Siana shook her hand.

"I'm Sanaha."

Siana nodded with a shy smile. "So, what kind of island is this and why are we standing upon giant roots?!" she asked looking up where nothing but Teldrassil's enormous stalk was visible.

Sanaha chuckled and said "This is no island, Siana. It's a tree!"

Siana looked up. Then down. Then up. Then at Sanaha. "This. Is. A. Tree?" – the most curious expression was on her face.

Sanaha nodded. "Yes, it is."

Siana looked up again.

And then fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warcraft and I am not affiliated with it in any way. This story is made for entertainment purposes only and I do not profit from it in any way.**

**Author's Note: For the future development, I'd like opinions on whether I should make longer or shorter chapters! Reviews GREATLY appreciated!**

**Chapter II**

"Why did you have to tell her that it was a tree!"

"Well she wanted to know, I didn't see any harm in letting her know!"

"You knew she'd never seen such things before!

"Don't you speak in such tone with me!"

Tenin and Sanaha were blaming each other for Siana's loss of consciousness. The calmness characteristic for night elves never seemed to apply to the siblings. But their quarrel quickly stopped when Siana opened her eyes.

"Can you please argue a bit lower? My head hurts…"

Siana had fallen badly when she fainted and the duo felt guilty. Tenin quickly remembered what he wanted to ask of his sister. "Can you open a portal to Darnassus? The sooner we get her there, the better." he told his sister in Darnassian. She nodded and started searching for the rune in her bag while her brother helped the girl up.

"Blast!" Sanaha cursed in common. She had only brought half of the stone with the blue symbol on it. Since runes of portals were exclusive only of mages, the ones she acquired she'd learned to economize. She would break the rune in two and when needed, she would conjure the other half, then join them together and use it. This was perhaps the reason for the inaccuracy of her portals, but Sanaha was after all not a mage, but a priest, and this was her only means of fast transport.

She began conjuring the other half.

"Ooh, can I watch? Please?" Siana said as she struggled out of Tenin's arms. She had always loved watching the mages of Menethil at work – she'd always loved magic. She quickly made her way to Sanaha who was chanting. Within a few seconds the other half of the rune appeared and she joined them together. As she attempted to create the portal, she was in for a surprise.

"Give me that! You're doing it wrong!" Siana said as she grabbed the square stone from Sanaha's hand. She gasped. "What? What are you doing child?! Give it back!"

Siana shook her head as she took a rock from the sand. "Portal runes are supposed to be oval, not square!" she said. Sanaha wanted to contradict, but then remembered what the reagent suppliers had always told her and what she'd never heeded: "You must smooth out the edges before you use it, or it's as good as useless!" Siana was already scrubbing the crumbly rune. She was close to overdoing it when Sanaha grabbed it from her hand. "Learn some respect, child!"

The three then gathered round the newly created portal. They stepped into it and the next second were teleported to a rocky path in the middle of a forest.

Sanaha was surprised with the accuracy of her spell this time. They were standing right at the gates of Darnassus.

"Woooooow!" Siana exclaimed as she followed Tenin and his sister forward past the sentinels standing at the gates.

"Welcome to the capital!" "Welcome to Darnassus!" they said as the three passed them.

"Darnassus? That's a weird name for a city, especially for a capital!" Siana said as they walked onwards.

"I suggest you get to the Warrior's Terrace immediately." Sanaha advised her brother. He nodded and waved Siana goodbye then hurried forward.

"Sanaha, where are we going now?" "Well, I believe what would be right would be for you to be taken to the Temple of the Moon. What's to be done with you from now on will be decided there. If they don't come up with a decision, I'll ask High Priestess Tyrande." Sanaha knew that the council was currently adjourned, but she felt uneasy to tell the girl that.

Siana swallowed. Suddenly she felt like a toy in someone's hands, a captive.

"Who is "High Priestess Tyrande?"" she asked cautiously.

"She is the ruler of our land." Sanaha answered promptly. The time for explanations was not now. Siana's tale of the ambassadors had troubled Sanaha and she felt like the crash was somehow not accidental.

When they reached the small square next to the Warrior's Terrace, Sanaha stopped by the vendor for a few things. She then tossed Siana a small tied pouch.

"What's this for?" she asked. "You'll need them."

They passed the Warrior's Terrace, where a most interesting scene was in progress. Despite Sanaha's warning not to stare, Siana stopped and stared most _intently _at the trainers and warriors. It was not easy to tell apprentice and master apart as they were engaged in training duels. But she acted most childishly when she caught sight of Tenin and his master. "Sanaha, look!" she shouted and started pulling the sleeves of her robe.

"I know! But you must hush, girl! My brother's concentration can't be disturbed. The studies of warriors are long and hard, and out of the many who take this path, very few succeed in it."

Siana glared at her for some time.

"Can I go meet his trainer?" It was Sanaha's turn to glare. "Elune forbid, should you happen to stay here, I am going to have an awful lot of work with you! Now hurry up! We've got a lot to do."

Sanaha's words were pretty much wasted as Siana stopped every few meters to look at this and that, much to the elf's annoyance. When they reached the Temple of the Moon, they were greeted by the two guards in front. Siana tried to make out something out of Sanaha's words to them in Darnassian, but failed miserably. Sanaha told her that she had arranged for her to be allowed in, but also warned her to be on her best behavior. "When the priestesses greet you, you will respond with "Alah darnana dor". This is a Darnassian formal greeting for when speaking to authority figures. When you are allowed to see Priestess Tyrande, you must behave with great respect not only because she will be the one to decide your fate. She is also the spiritual ruler of our lands."

Then Sanaha turned to leave only to be stopped by Siana with a frightened expression on her face. "Where are you going? Aren't you coming with me?"

Sanaha caressed the girl's face to calm her down. "I'm afraid I've got urgent matters to attend to. But you mustn't worry, no one will judge you or anything. When you're done, go and find me. I'll be at the Cenarion Enclave." She then departed.

Siana watched her go down the steps. "The Cenarion what?"

But she didn't ponder over that for long as the sentinels told her to enter. She went in and, yet again, stopped to stare.

The beauty of the Temple was stunning. Siana examined with curious eyes the curved staircases, the soft grass under her feet and the majestic fountain in the center of the building. It was in the shape of a female night elf. The statue's face emanated might, but also a hint of kindness and Siana couldn't escape the feeling that she had seen it before. She knew neither where, nor when.

Someone put their hand on her shoulder. "Elune'Adore!"

Siana's awe was interrupted by a young priestess who had come to welcome her. "Oh, um… Al-Alah darnana dor!" she remembered Sanaha's words. The young woman smiled. Siana's worries diminished – the woman inspired kindness and her presence was calming for the girl. "My, my, you sure are a quick learner! I'm priestess A'moora. But you must be exhausted! Terrible, what you've been through…" the young elf shook her head. "And the only survivor… But enough of this, I am sure you want to put this horrible experience behind you." Siana nodded.

"I'll inform Priestess Tyrande that you're here to see her. For now rest here by the fountain. The serenity of this temple does wonders for the weary and wounded. I'll call you when she is ready to speak to you." Siana smiled and watched the young priestess go up the curved stone staircase.

Then she sat on the ground next to the fountain. It was not until then that she realized she was the _only _survivor. And her mother was now gone…

Something died inside the young girl. Immediately tears started flowing down her cheeks. "Oh, why does it have to be like this? Why couldn't I have just died with her?" She felt awfully guilty that she had only just now remembered about her. "I'd give anything to make her happy, wherever she is!"

_She is happy. She loves you. She's all around you. Just feel her._

Siana's silent sobs stopped. "What? How do you about her?" She asked out loud. She looked around, but none of those present had said a word. "So now I'm going mad?" Siana decided it had been her imagination and tried not to think about the crash, her mother, or the strange whisper she had heard.

Her head was beginning to feel better. A'moora turned out right. The pain became smaller with every passing minute. Siana felt sleepy and started looking around to keep her eyes open.

All the elves she could see were women and they all wore long light-colored robes and staves. Siana figured they were all priestesses, but they were all too different. Then she noticed that the guards, also female, were dressed not in the bright, sheer clothing of the priestesses, but in hard armor in dark colors. They carried swords and glaives, some also shields. She immediately started wondering how it must feel to be dressed in armor. Was it heavy? Were the weapons very sharp? How about dangerous? What was a warrior's job?

Siana was starting to comprehend the fact that she was in a completely new world, with completely new creatures. It felt strange, but the adventurous girl smiled at the thought of how much there was to learn about it.

She looked at the priestesses again. They were all tall, quite taller than her, and they all had eyes which glowed in silvery-blue. Their hair of some was reaching below their waist, while others' was shoulder-length. The elves had hair in different shades of blue, purple and green. They did not talk much, but they all secretly looked at her and she could see a hint of disdain on some of their beautiful faces, some of which had interesting markings. This all appeared odd, yet interesting to Siana.

She was starting to get impatient. She had lost track of how long she'd been waiting but it had to have been at least an hour. She was about to go to one of the priestesses and start a conversation when finally A'moora came down.

"Siana? Priestess Tyrande wishes to see you now. Please, come with me."

The girl followed the elf up the steps and on the temple's upper level. Siana walked behind A'moora and tried not to express her great curiosity. She knew that she was about to meet an important person and she felt nervous.

A'moora stopped at a small terrace and Siana stopped next to her. Tyrande was awaiting them. She peered at the girl curiously. Siana looked the high priestess in the eyes. She appeared domineering, yet kind. She held her beautiful face high. Siana suddenly felt that she should bow and she did. Tyrande smiled.

"Well… you are Siana, I presume?"

Siana nodded and used the formal greeting again. The high priestess's smile widened and she made a small bow as well. She then looked at A'moora, who bowed and descended down the stairs. Siana understood that it was a sign for the younger elf to leave them alone. Her nervousness grew slightly but she turned to Tyrande again, waiting for a question.

She did not wait long. "Welcome, child. I understand that you've suffered a terrible shipwreck?" "Yes… madam." Siana knew she had to have a form of address towards the ruler and that was the first that came to mind. But it didn't appeal to Tyrande. "I prefer "Priestess Whisperwind" to that". Siana was so nervous that all she could do was to mutter some apology.

"Anyway, I was informed that on board of the ship you traveled there had been ambassadors from Menethil with important messages to deliver to Theramore?"

Siana answered positively.

Tyrande stood up. She started fiddling with her long dark blue hair nervously and her rich white robe rustled. She came closer to the girl and looked down on her.

"What we say from now on must remain only between the two of us, Siana. You are to keep it a secret. Can you do that?"

Siana nodded with certainty. Tyrande became visibly more relaxed.

"Good. Now, I suspect that you are aware of exactly what messages your ambassadors were transporting, and if you are, I request that you inform me. This is of great importance, girl."

Siana smiled lightly. She remembered how she was warned numerous times by both sailors and ambassadors not to sneak into the captain's cabin and certainly not to try to open the solid black chest with secret documents. Well, the word "not" had an all too different for the young girl.

"I understand. Well, from what I read…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

Siana's tale of the secret documents had greatly sparked Tyrande's interest. It had also awakened her fears. The fact that the Horde and Scourge attacks had significantly decreased of late proved to be far from motiveless. The ambassadors who had found their death in the shipwreck had been carrying vital observations to Theramore, part of which had been meant to be delivered to Stormwind. They spoke of great troubles ahead – both the Horde and the Scourge, although independently, were now preparing for a huge assault on the Alliance. The ambassadors had been monitoring enemy bases for months and were reporting that the enemies were now for small, frequent attacks so as not to seed doubts within the Alliance, but were also starting to slowly produce forces so vast that, if launched within the time of two years and at the same time, would crush the Alliance. Most probably for good.

The latter Tyrande had deduced herself but decided not to tell the girl so as not to alarm her, especially in her still mentally weakened state. She saw that the girl was badly bruised and cut in several places, although she did not seem to notice. Her blood was starting to drip onto the floor and Tyrande made haste to thank the girl and send her away to rest. She saw her off to the Temple's entrance.

"I'd like to once again express my gratitude, Siana. You have been of great help. But I don't think it would be right to postpone your much needed restoration any longer. Now, we rarely receive… um… visitors like you, but seeing as how you have nowhere to go, you may stay in the capital for as long as you wish. I believe it would be best for you to stay with a human family but we have very few humans living in Darnassus and it is an awfully short notice… Hmm… Perhaps Priestess Sanaha wouldn't mind if you stayed with her and her brother for a while, just until we find you some place to live. Is that alright with you?"

Siana nodded happily. She had grown to like Sanaha over the few hours they'd been together, but was far too tired to think even a day ahead. She thanked Tyrande and bowed with respect before exiting the temple.

It was not until then that she noticed she had left a trail of blood on the ground and gasped. She tore a piece from her ragged shirt and bandaged her worst wound, then nervously asked a nearby guard about the Cenarion Enclave. The directions she received were quite vague, but she just sighed and went down the stairs.

While she was walking, Siana gloomily thought about her misfortunes. Which had yet to cease.

As she crossed the Warrior's Terrace again, she looked for Tenin and his trainer. She desperately wanted to lie down and get out of having to search the city for Sanaha. She was thinking that perhaps Tenin might take a short break to take her to his sister's house when she received an unexpected surprise. For a split second she was glad that she found Tenin, which was until his trainer knocked him backwards, causing him to throw a fast back somersault through which he roughly pushed Siana off the bridge. She gave out a scream as she fell into the lake below.

"Praise Elune, what have I done!" Tenin shouted. Siana's screams caused huge commotion among the young warriors. While they were wondering what was happening, Tenin jumped in the water after Siana with absolutely no thought in his mind.

He heard nothing and saw nothing but Siana's silhouette under the water. He dove after her, but she was sinking fast. With blurred vision he watched her fierce struggles and her tries to get to the surface, but apparently her torn clothes were too heavy and were dragging her to the bottom. Tenin swam deeper and deeper, trying to grab a hand or a leg, it didn't matter. He finally got hold of her sleeve and managed to pull her out on the grass.

Somehow, as he was holding Siana's head as she coughed Tenin's mind returned to him. He had never felt in such a way before, like he had been in a trance while he was trying to save Siana from drowning again.

"Heavens, Siana, I'm so sorry! Y-you could have lost your life, I'm so sorry!" he was muttering very guiltily. Siana was nearly fainting but found strength to look up. "Actually I think I should be the one to apologize for interrupting your concentration. And if I were you, I'd worry about the mess I'm getting myself into, having saved said mess's life two times in one day."

Tenin could do nothing but shake his head with a sign of a smile. He gently lifted the girl off the ground. At that moment his trainer showed up. "Awful! I can't help but feel guilty, my boy. You'd best take her home, it is late anyway." The young warrior nodded in agreement. "I heard she's just spoken to Priestess Whisperwind, too."

Tenin started walking away when the little thing in his hands made a tortured gesture telling him to stop. Siana twisted her arm towards Tenin's trainer, barely seeing. "An honor to meet you, Shan'do." she whispered. The elder night elf looked at his student in confusion. Tenin let out a wide grin. "You're supposed to shake it." His master awkwardly shook the girl's hand and expressed his admiration of her manners.

A moment later, however, the young heroine fell asleep in Tenin's arms. He took her to his and Sanaha's house at the Craftsmen's Terrace. Sanaha still wasn't back, so Tenin carefully laid the girl on her bed. Her clothes were torn and wet, she was bleeding in several places, but Tenin had no way of helping her, not knowing anything about wounds and healing. He cursed in his mind about that. He really didn't want to leave Siana alone, but he had to find his sister. He figured that the faster he found her, the less time Siana would spend alone in her condition.

The young night elf sighed and went out.

"You did WHAT?!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Being sorry doesn't make up for the fact that you made her nearly drown!"

"Look… could you just hurry up and take a look at her?"

Sanaha was outraged at her brother. Tenin was pouting at her. He was used to being yelled at, and usually enthusiastically defended himself, but this time his main concern was Siana.

The two entered their house to find Sanaha's whole bed soaked. Siana was fast asleep and water was dripping from her hair. Sanaha glared angrily at her brother.

"Praise Elune, you could have at least taken those wet clothes off her!"

Tenin's eyes widened. "Um… well, I don't think that would've been… I mean I could have, b-but it… I didn't, I-I mean it's not like she's… er…"

Sanaha shook her head. "How they ever recruited you among the ranks of the warriors is beyond me. You can't even deal with a little girl!" With that she started to undress Siana.

"Do you mind!"

Tenin turned his back to the scene. On top of everything, he was starting to feel embarrassed. He could hear Sanaha chanting a healing spell and that reminded him of his own incompetence in spells. He made a mental note to ask his sister to teach him at least one healing spell.

Apparently, Sanaha had quite a lot of work to do, so Tenin left Siana and her alone and tried to get some rest. However, all the excitement turned out to be too much for one day and sleep avoided him like the plague.

Tenin turned nervously in his bed. "I wonder if they're finished yet…" Knowing his sister, she would be done three times already. But Elune help him if he barged in and she was not.

He decided not to bother them for some more time but the insomnia was killing him. His eyes slowly searched the room for something to do to pass the time and landed on his old daggers. "I might as well sharpen those, they could come in handy again someday." Tenin dragged his feet to the weapons and started sharpening them.

Whilst doing that his thoughts drifted to Siana. It had always been a mystery to him how the human mind worked. How those creatures took on everything fate dropped onto them. For instance, Siana – she had lost everything she had in a moment, in a day – almost her life. And yet, her spirit appeared unbroken. She was a strong one. "Or," Tenin gloomily thought, "Or maybe she still hasn't realized what had happened to her". The young night elf hadn't noticed when the daggers had fallen off his hands, sharp as never before. Tenin's foot was dangerously close to the edge of one of them.

"Oh. Guess I really should check on those two."

He peaked into his sister's room. There, he found an interesting scene. Siana was sleeping soundly on his sister's bed, while Sanaha was gently caressing her face. The young girl was dressed in one of Sanaha's old sleeping robes and all of her wounds and bruises were gone. Her face was peaceful. When Siana felt the female night elf's fingers on her face, a smile crawled onto her face. Tenin's lips involuntarily curled up into a smirk. Then his sister noticed his presence. She put a finger up to her lips, telling him to keep quiet.

Tenin nodded as his sister got up and closed the door.

"She'll be fine for now." Sanaha whispered. "Her body will need a couple of days to fully recover, though. But what I'm worried about is her mental state. She never seemed to realize that her parents were gone now, neither did she pay any attention to the fact that she barely got out of all this alive. She is most likely still in some kind of shock. It's possible, however, that she's not."

Tenin eyed his sister suspiciously. "What do you mean? Siana obviously can't think straight yet."

Sanaha's face changed into a concerned look. "Well… sometimes… when a person goes through something like what Siana's gone through, they just lock it away. They bury it in the depths of their conscience and they don't speak of it. It appears as if they do not care."

The male night elf's eyes widened. "I… really can't accept that. What kind of person would be one who does that to themselves? The only word I can think of is cold-blooded. In every bad aspect of the word."

"Not necessarily. How many people have you met that do this when their life has changed so much in such a short time?" Sanaha asked.

Tenin could not think of any of his acquaintances who had such behavior.

"Exactly." His sister said. "Anyone in Siana's place would be devastated. Some don't get over this for years, others never do. People who do as Siana may be doing are not like that. They are strong. Much stronger than that. Why, even Priestess Tyrande could not do this. For people like Siana, this is a way of defense. The pain they feel when the evil of the world collapses over them – they choose to seal away that pain, never to think of it; they are afraid. Too afraid to let it hurt them ever again. This way of dealing with difficulties can be either a blessing or a curse. It can turn a person into a living ice cube – an emotionless shell of their former self. But it is a sign of great inner strength. The ones who evade becoming a living glacier become even stronger – their fear of sadness and sorrow makes them shield those they care for from any sort of harm. People like that become extremely devoted leaders, because they truly understand others – and want to protect them from ever feeling what _they_ have felt.

Tenin was listening intently although his head was down. His sister's words had brought a thousand thoughts into his mind.

"If Siana really displays that strength, this could mean a new hope for the Alliance, for our people. And you know what? I don't think the fact that she's here is a mere coincidence. I… I believe she turned up here on purpose – to teach us something. Something important…"

With that Sanaha slowly walked away, leaving Tenin locked in thought.

"And brother?" she called him.

"Hm?" Tenin snapped out of his pondering.

"I think it would be good if Siana doesn't find herself alone in the morning."

"Oh… of course." Tenin agreed. After that his sister went out.

The young night elf checked on Siana. She was still sleeping peacefully curled up on Sanaha's bed. He pulled a chair and sat next to the bed.

He watched her small torso go up and down slowly and rhythmically. The sound of the girl's even breathing was entrancing, calming. Soon Tenin finally drifted into a deep slumber.

X X X

"Damn… Did I fall of a cliff or something?"

Siana slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. _Odd, never seen such ceiling before… Where am I anyway?_

She tried to sit up.

"OOOH! God, that hurt!"

The girl felt pain in what seemed every single muscle as she remembered the misfortunes of the previous day.

She looked around. Strange, she didn't have any blank spots in her head but she still couldn't figure out where she was.

"Hmm? Siana! You're finally awake! Are you alright?"

She turned her head to the direction of the deep voice. It was Tenin, he was sitting on a chair near her bed and was stretching lazily.

"Yes, I'm fine -- OUCH!" the girl screamed as Tenin caught her hand to help her sit up. "Oh I'm sorry, that must've hurt, considering your little, um, adventure… yesterday." He said as the girl pouted at him.

She started examining herself. Her bruises were gone and she was dressed in an elegant sleeping robe. It was beautiful. More beautiful than any she had ever had, and obviously wasn't hers.

"Um, Tenin?"

"Yeah?" he responded while yawning. _Is my neck stiff or what…_

"This is… yours and Sanaha's house, right?"

"Yes, why? Oh, you most probably don't remember that I took you here last night."

Siana remembered something else. "Well, that, and that I'll be living here for a while."

"Pardon?" Tenin's eyes widened. _Well, that was a nice way to wake me up. Pretty unexpected, too. Is she still in shock or something?_

"Didn't Tyrande inform you guys? Since I… um… I have nowhere to go right now, I'll be staying with you guys. She said you wouldn't mind… Right?"

Tenin didn't know what to think. It was a surprise, not necessarily an unpleasant one, but a slap in the face indeed.

"No, of course not, why would you ever think otherwise?" he asked quickly.

"Well, you haven't given me a reason, but you don't exactly thrilled, either."

"No, it's just that it's a bit sudden. I mean I rescue you from a shipwreck one day and the next you're living with me!"

Siana chuckled. "That reminds me, I guess I should be thanking you for saving my skin. Again."

Tenin's face suddenly darkened. "I think not, seeing as how I was the cause of that incident."

"Don't be silly. It wasn't your fault. Nor was it your master's fault. It was me. I should never have dragged myself to bother you in the first place. Are… you mad at me?"

Tenin smiled. It's not like he hadn't got scolded unfairly but he wasn't in the least resentful. "How could I be? Let alone at you, you're so young and feeble and…"

"_Pardon?_"

Tenin's smile faded. He threw a gaze into Siana's eyes. What he found there nearly made him startle.

Her gaze was cold… so cold it sent shivers down his spine. It made him want to hide somewhere. He felt his heart skip a beat and climb to his throat. He had never met a person who could do that to him with one simple gaze.

"Uh…?" he uttered.

"What was that word?" she demanded. Her cheerful voice had taken a tone that made Tenin want to run away.

He swallowed.

"Um, feeble?"

If that was possible, Siana's face darkened even more. Her big hazel eyes narrowed and bore into Tenin's silvery ones as she stood up as if feeling no pain at all.

"Make sure I never hear it again." she said in a voice as cold as the grave.

"I'm… sorry…" Tenin muttered.

The girl's face then lit up so suddenly that the night elf's mouth nearly opened in surprise.

"Great! Now… ugh, if you could do something about this pain, I'll be eternally grateful! I mean, _God _does this hurt!"

Tenin, still dumbfound, managed to smear a smile on his face. "Well, after all Sanaha did you're complaining? I'm afraid there's nothing anyone can do to numb it. All you can do is sit this day off. By tomorrow I think you'll be good to go."

Siana pouted. "Ohh, and I wanted to watch you train!"

"Hell no!" Tenin's startled. "Uh, I mean, not today at least."

The girl on his sister's bed crossed her arms and smirked. "You aren't getting rid of me that easily, Tenin!"

The young night elf's face changed into a puzzled expression.

"Why is it that I don't doubt it even a bit…"

Siana chuckled. "I wonder…"

Tenin smiled. "Well, I better get going. The sun is rising already. I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah…" Siana said while her gaze drifted trough the window to the beautiful sunrise.

Tenin was about to leave. "Bye!"

"…"

He received no response from the moony Siana.

"There's something about this girl…" he thought as he went out of the house.


	4. Chapter 4

It was becoming one of Siana's most boring days ever. The pain in her body had lessened, but every movement was still an agony. She had been sitting in front of the window for hours and hadn't budged an inch. Not moving was becoming more of a pain than moving. It made sense, since Siana normally couldn't stand still for more than seven minutes – when she was forced to, she usually started fidgeting and whining.

The girl could feel a big wave of whining coming and with no one to whine to, she decided to – she gulped at the thought of standing up – take a walk.

_I wonder what Sanaha or Tenin would think if I went and paid them a visit…_

With lots of "Ouch!"-es and effort Siana managed to get her legs to the other side of the bed and with one long, big "OOOH!" she stood up.

"Must… find… clothes…" she muttered while taking a few agonizing steps. She then remembered how she had torn her clothes in pieces in order to somehow bandage her wounds and then plopped back onto the bed with a painful sigh.

Indeed, this day was getting from bad to worse.

Sanaha opened the door of her house, glad to have freed herself from her duties for a few hours in order to see how Siana was doing.

She peeked into her bedroom. "Huh?" she uttered.

Siana lazily turned her head towards Sanaha. "What's "huh" supposed to mean? Perhaps that you're glad to see me?"

"This girl's regeneration is impressive!" the young night elf thought.

"That, and that I'm surprised you're awake! I expected you to sleep through the next three days!" she exclaimed.

Siana's face twisted in a pained grimace. "Well surprise. I'm awake as ever, bored as never and aching as hell never before!"

Sanaha's face was lit up by a wide smile. "That's the cost of treatment. And you were in a heck of a condition, I might add. Anyway, I got rid of the clothes you were wearing."

Siana's eyes widened.

"Sanaha! Those were my _only _clothes! How in the world am I supposed to go anywhere with no clothes?!"

"Well, you might as well go naked than with those rags on, but if this makes you feel any better, I got you some other ones." Sanaha showed the girl a pair of leather pants, a plain shirt and some shoes.

"Really? Thanks so much!" Siana exclaimed as she slowly walked to the female night elf and took them.

Sanaha's expression became one of surprise.

_I stand corrected – this __girl's stamina is _stunning_! How she even stands on her feet is beyond me!_

"Siana?"

"Hm?" she mumbled as she took off Sanaha's sleeping robe.

"I bet walking is very painful for you, isn't it?"

Siana paused for a moment.

"You know, come to think of it, it isn't. A couple of hours ago it was, but when I stretched around a bit, it feels almost painless. Speaking of walking, do you have some spare time?"

"A couple of hours, yes. Why?"

Siana made a pleading expression.

"Well, I'm really bored… And now that I can stand again, would you… mind taking a walk with me?"

Sanaha's face had a worried look.

"I don't know, Siana, I'm really not sure about this, I mean you only just yesterday went through such severe exhaustion and you're still very weak…"

"_Sanaha…" _

The girl's sudden change of tone cut Sanaha's words short.

"I… am _not _weak…"

The young night elf was confused. "Are you sure? You're barely standing…"

"…and I would thank you if you left me alone."

Sanaha felt a strange vibe around the girl. It was unpleasant, threatening. It nearly made her squirm with discomfort. Siana's simple words sounded as if they were said by a completely different person…

"Er… if you wish. I… will be heading back to the Temple… I'll see you later."

The female night elf hurried to go out.

"Alright, what just happened back there? I wonder why she acted so strange…" she thought. She then recalled her conversation with her brother from last night. "No, it can't be that, she's just a girl! Then again, she appeared so insulted, so… imperious."

Sanaha tried to drive any thoughts of Siana away and focus on her duties but the girl kept popping into her head.

Siana had put on her new clothes and was now locked in thought.

_Why did I snap at her like that? It's not like she was anything more than worried about me, but that _word… _it pisses me off!_

She didn't notice when she had clenched her fist.

"Never mind. Just be calm." she told herself. "Perhaps I should go and apologize? I could look around while I'm at it, get to know this city. I'll be staying here for quite a while anyway…"

The girl sighed and slowly went out.

The second she stumbled out in the cobblestone streets of Darnassus, she wished she was back inside.

Siana eyed the huge wooden buildings as she slowly walked without a direction. Every night elf that passed her by would give her strange looks. It made her feel somehow unwanted.

She pushed the feeling away. The night elves were allies, she knew that well. But all of them appeared somewhat cold, like they never wanted to be bothered with things like allegiance, like they were above it.

The feeling of being an intruder came back with a vengeance as Siana also started feeling lonely, both because she painfully reminded herself that she no longer had a family, no one to hold on to and she was the only human around.

The ground had looked awfully interesting for the past half hour, but Siana remembered to lift her eyes from it and see where her slow steps had brought her.

Unlike everything else, the area didn't look completely new to her and the girl remembered that it was the main gate of the night elven capital. She was still quite far from the actual gate and from the guards that had welcomed her the previous day.

She didn't want to give the impression that she was leaving the city so she decided to stay away from the guards and their judging looks. She had some memory that not too far from here was the place where she and Sanaha had seen Tenin and the other warriors train and she felt a need to see him. She would apologize for her previous disrespect and perhaps ask where the Temple of the Moon was.

While Siana thought about it her pace quickened. Unfortunately, her gaze was still fixed at her feet so she actually wasn't surprised when she bumped into something hard in front, her head hitting tough tree bark.

While she was rubbing her forehead she mumbled "Who in their right mind would plant a tree here?"

But then a low, heavy growl interrupted her quiet rants.

"What in the world..?!"

Siana looked up to the huge tree and her lips opened in surprise. Two huge yellow eyes glowed amidst the vines and leaves of the upper part of the tree, searching for the source of disturbance. Unfortunately, they found it.

As the girl stood in awe, limbs started to move from beside the enormous stalk. Siana took a few steps back, her jaw dropped, eyes taking in the whole picture of the tree which apparently was more than just a tree - a living creature.

It had huge stalks as legs and clawed arms with vines entangled. Its crude face had a fierce look and she swore it was frowning as the creature started, very slowly, to bend towards her. Its flowing growth beard hung like a cape of leaves in front of Siana, to whom the idea to run appeared less and less painful.

However, the only thing that outmatched her fear was her curiosity.

"Who… are… you… human…?"

If it was possible, Siana's eyes became even wider when she heard the words, very slowly, fall out of the creature's mouth.

She gulped loudly as she looked into the glowing yellow eyes which were staring angrily at her.

"I-I am S-Siana…" she managed to stutter. When the creature's scowl didn't soften, but just the opposite, and as its claws started to hover above her, ready to clutch, it hit the girl's mind just how small she was.

"P-please don't hurt me! Don't…!" she screamed quickly and put her arms up defensively.

Slowly, the creature's scowl turned into something of a smile.

"I won't hurt you" it said very slowly. Siana let her arms set down at her sides.

"You… can talk? Um… I-I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going… W-What… are you?" she managed to ask cautiously.

The creature tilted its head slowly, as if offended.

"Why, I am an ancient, little human!" it slowly replied.

Siana's fear had nearly diminished by then, giving room to curiosity.

"An ancient? What does that mean?"

The creature shook its head slowly. "You humans are so… unenlightened."

Siana quickly discarded the last of her fear. She felt awfully strange – standing next to a giant talking tree which was offending her race.

"Wow, and I thought only us unenlightened humans were prejudiced."

The ancient broke into laughter from the girl's cocky remark. The millennia-old creature couldn't remember when anything had last made him laugh. The sound of his laughter was fearful to the girl, like trees struck by thunder. It echoed throughout the area like the sound of an avalanche cascading down a mountain side.

"Ha-ha-haaa, you are a bold one, little human. I cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard. I like that fire in you, little girl. You are lucky, too. Before the alliance, most humans never ended well when they bumped into my bark."

Siana scowled. "I have a name, you know. Which reminds me, ancient, do you have one to be addressed by?"

"I am Renus the Wise, ancient protector of Darnassus."

Siana crossed her arms thoughtfully.

"Renus the Wise, eh? Well, then, perhaps you could tell me the way to the Temple of the Moon then?"

"The Temple? Of course! But why would you want to go there? It is a tranquil place which humans are not allowed to enter."

"I think I am. I have a… friend I want to see."

Renus waved an arm nonchalantly. "We rarely receive human visitors, you might as well have been allowed in. I could take you there if you like, my patrol is supposed to start soon anyway."

"I would be very grateful, wise one." Siana said respectfully. But that respect dissipated in an instant when the ancient's clawed hand lowered over her and clutched her in branchlike fingers. The girl panicked as her feet left the ground.

"What are you doing?! Let go of me! Right now!"

"The ancient laughed again as he carefully set the girl down on his shoulder.

"You said you wanted to be taken to the Temple, and that is just what we are doing."

Siana's wide eyes shot an angry glare at Renus.

"I didn't mean like this! I demand you put me down, right now!"

"It is not very wise to try and command me, girl. If I were you, I would hold on tight." he said as he slowly strode forward.

Siana didn't need to be told twice, her quivering hands clutched tightly around the vines.

She was no longer afraid, only curious. Renus had mentioned the time before the alliance between humans and night elves. The girl knew nothing about that time. Where she came from, there were no friends and no foes. She remembered when the big news of a new alliance reached her ears, but that had made no difference for her people.

"Renus, what have you heard since before the alliance?"

The ancient frowned.

"Heard? I've lived through it, girl! I have lived through things you can not even imagine! I am _old_!"

Siana had never been affected by war. She had been alive when the Third War had nearly ended all existence, when the rebellions followed it, but these things never reached her people. She was curious, and wanted to know. Yet everyone always told her she wouldn't want to know about it.

"Tell me of the time before the alliance, Renus." she said with her gaze towards the horizon.

The ancient slowly turned his head towards her.

"You really want to know? Very well. First, to me, this alliance is a nuisance. It has brought nothing but disturbance. Yet I must admit the time before it was much worse. Those were times of chaos and destruction, Siana."

Renus sighed. Whenever he remembered, his heart would become heavy.

"Before humans and night elves discarded their old hatreds and decided to fight under the same flag, they thought of each other as most vile enemies. We ancients have a tight bond with the elves that has been formed many millennia ago. So when the humans and orcs, at that time united, set foot in our sacred forests, we were outraged."

The girl was stunned.

"The orcs and humans used to be allied?!"

Renus shook his head.

"Desperate times called for desperate measures. And those _were _desperate times, Siana. There were only enemies then, friends were never considered. Why bother, when they could betray you the next moment? Orcs and humans have a deep bond as well. A bond of hatred that has driven their decisions for centuries. But yes, during the Third War, they came to a conclusion that the only way either of their races would survive was if they stood together."

A dark expression appeared on the ancient's crude face.

"Although in truth, they can never be allies. When those hostile intruders first set foot in our lands, destroying our tranquility and the delicate balance of nature, we knew something terrible was the cause of their alliance, which even back then was very unstable. Not a day would pass without massacre and bloodshed. Sometimes orc blood would sink in the ground, sometimes human shields would fall to never be picked up again, sometimes elven bows would be smashed into pieces. The only thing that could hold any alliance together was the fear that life itself would be eradicated were it not for common ground."

The earth-shaking steps of the ancient stopped.

"Here we are, Siana."

"We are?" The girl was so entranced that she had never noticed when they had arrived.

Her legs hit the ground as she was slowly set down.

"But I want to know more about the war, Renus!"

The ancient smirked.

"And you shall. In time." With that he turned around and strode away, deaf to the girl's protests.

Siana looked to the ground. She could almost see blood staining it. She had never lived through the horrors of war, but somehow, she felt she understood. The cold, pained glowing eyes that tried to look at her as an ally, not as a descendant of the race that had brought nothing but death and slaughter to this tranquil place, and now asked for loyalty.

She sighed heavily as she asked to be allowed inside the Temple.

"No."

"What?!"

The guard calmly repeated herself.

"No, you may not enter the Temple."

Siana was dumbstruck.

"Well, why not? I was here yesterday, and you didn't seem to mind!"

The other guard and the one that had denied Siana exchanged peculiar glances.

"Clearly, you had not looked hard enough then, human."

The girl let out an irritated sigh and tried not to get angrier than she already was, which turned out harder than she imagined. She tried to understand the night elves' disdain towards their supposed-to-be allies, and tried to justify their denial with Renus's words from before.

"Look. I understand that this is a sacred place, and that us humans have not given you any reason to let us enter it, but this prejudice of yours isn't going to help anyone. I really don't see why I can't be allowed in, seeing as how I was yesterday."

The guards muttered something between themselves in Darnassian, but she didn't like the looks on their faces while they spoke. Obviously, it had something to do with her, and not in quite a positive way.

"The only reason you were allowed yesterday was because you had information for the High Priestess which she demanded. But your usefulness to her is now gone, and therefore there is no reason to…."

"What if she wishes to speak with me again?" Siana interjected.

The guards' faces did not change. "She would have informed us if that was the case."

Siana sighed heavily and pressed her hands to her temples.

"I…understand. Well, can you at least tell me if Sanaha is in there? I wanted to come and see her."

One guard raised her eyebrows. The girl had shown familiarity with the Priestess Sanaha, so she was probably an important connection of hers.

"Alright. You may enter."

The second guard attempted to protest, but the other elf continued.

"But know that, an ally of ours as you may be, our hospitality has limits, human. The exception we are making for you will be a rare one."

Siana just made a low bow and expressed her gratitude before the guards stepped aside to let her in.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V

"I don't get why, but alright."

"Uh, how can you _not _get it? It… I just felt bad so I figured I'd apologize."

Siana was twirling a lock of auburn hair between her fingers nervously.

"Just forget it, it was my fault, anyway." Sanaha waved off her apology with a smile.

"Well… if you say so." the girl said gingerly.

"So, I hear Renus has taken a liking to you?"

"How did you know?"

Sanaha chuckled.

"Well, it's huge news if Renus takes a liking to anyone! No, more like epic!"

Her words, however, did not serve to brighten up Siana's mood, but just the opposite.

The girl tried to smile, but failed miserably.

She turned her eyes to Sanaha's bright silvery ones.

"How could Renus even refrain from striking me down, Sanaha? How can you yourself even stand to be around me?"

"What are you saying?!"

The girl stared down at her hands.

"Don't try to… You don't have to pretend to like me. I'd understand completely if you don't want me around."

Sanaha glared at the girl in surprise.

"I can't believe you're thinking that! How can you? Why are you being so reserved all of a sudden?"

Siana looked at the night elf with a kind of sad smile.

"I'm a human." She said, as if that simple fact was the explanation to everything.

"I'm a human, and I know what that must mean to you. My kind has never brought any good to yours."

From Siana's look the night elf could tell she was having a difficult time expressing herself.

"It's just… I've been thinking, you know? And, I reckon it would be better for me to leave here. Get back to my own people. Being around here… I will just make things difficult for everyone."

She paused.

"This isn't about me, or you, or Tenin. How he even saved me, a human, is beyond me."

"Why do you say the name of your race like it's some sort of evil?"

"Isn't it?" Siana's eyes betrayed the sadness and guilt she was trying to keep from her voice.

"The Third war… Back then. My race invaded your lands and caused unimaginable conflicts, didn't it? We've never done anything different than try to bring your kind to extinction. I must admit… I was brought up to think of you night elves as vile enemies. And humans were allied with the orcs… All these things do nothing to strengthen my ties with you."

"Oh, Siana! This is all behind us now! We must look to the future, to the Alliance we've made! If all we did was dwell on past hatred, we would have been long dead."

"I just can't help feeling responsible!"

The night elf made a thoughtful expression.

"Yes, I was thinking about that. And you know what? I really don't care!"

_What?_

"You're not guilty of anything, Siana. I understand it must be uneasy for you, but you should not worry over this. If you continue to think and believe that you are unaccepted and hated, then sooner or later it will come true."

Siana bit her lip thoughtfully. There was truth in Sanaha's words and it made her feel better. She felt very grateful to the young night elf. She had taken her in – her, human and complete stranger, and she was looking out for her, like an older sister.

"Thank you, Sanaha." she smiled contentedly. "I really appreciate what you are doing for me.

_What have I done to deserve it?_

"I hope I have done something to change your mind about this Alliance."

Siana nodded.

She walked alongside the young priestess and looked at her. The kindness shone in her silvery eyes and she felt protected, forgetting her troubles at least for a moment.

She may have lost a mother, but she had found a friend, an older sister. The thought made her smile.

There was really no use in dwelling on the past and its horrors.

The girl turned ahead to the breathtakingly beautiful gardens around the Temple of the Moon.

_I may miss the wonders of the present._

A gentle breeze scattered her auburn locks.

"Siana?"

"Hmm?"

"I remembered; when we first found you… How did you know about portals? About runes?"

The girl's face became thoughtful.

"Well… back at Menethil lived a couple of mages. Apart from them, no one else had anything to do with magic, or wars. My home did not use to be what it is now. I don't even know what it's like now. The sea journey had lasted almost a year before I turned up here."

Sanaha listened curiously.

"I loved to watch the mages…" Siana mused.

"I loved to watch them do… whatever they did."

She chuckled.

"They hated that. They always threatened they'd turn me into a frog! But they got used to me. One of them even taught me about runes."

"Didn't you ask about anything else? Spells? Anything?"

"Actually no, it's all really boring and complicated. Like I'd understand anyway. If I ever do something with magic, I'd like it to something calmer, more spiritual. Like a priest."

Sanaha was a little surprised by that.

"About that… Since you're going to live here, I was thinking of binding you apprentice to one of the human mages that live here, but seeing as how you'd prefer the life of a priest…"

Siana watched at her intently.

"…I thought maybe you would like to train under me."

The girl looked at the night elf in awe.

_This is…I never even expected she would consider such a thing! This is unreal!_

Sanaha's excitement apparently sunk.

"Oh, so that is a "no" then…"

"No, no! Yes!"

"Yes, no?"

"No. Yes!"

"No yes?"

"Arrghh! It's a yes! I accept! I want to train under you!"

The female night elf nodded in understanding. "Oooh! Well, that is great!"

"Yes it is! Thank you so much, Sanaha! I promise I'll work hard and…" words flowed and flowed out the girl's mouth.

"Alright, I get it! And you don't have to promise anything, I know you'll do your best."

"I will! I swear! Sanaha, words can't describe how thankful I am right now!"

Indeed, words were insufficient, so the girl did the next best thing – she threw her arms around the young priestess in a tight, grateful embrace.

Surprised, but still smiling, Sanaha prepared for her next words carefully.

"So, starting now, you are officially my apprentice and on your path to becoming a priestess… well, not of the goddess…" Siana shuddered at the thought of suggesting Siana for a novice priestess of Elune to the council.

"I promise to train you in the ways of the Light, in the Alliance spirit and honor!"

With this, she gestured for Siana to kneel. As she did, the night elf pressed her palm to the girl's shoulder and then raised it to the sky. A spark of light burst out of it and danced around the girl.

When it disappeared, Siana suddenly felt very emotional. A rage of feeling surged through her and she thought she might burst, but then it subsided and only her joy remained.

"There! It is started. Now how about we tell Tenin the news?"

Siana's eyes lit up.

"Really? Can we?"

"Why not?" Sanaha said nonchalantly. "I've still got some time left to kill and I think he will be delighted to learn of how you've chosen to spend your life here from now on."

As the two made their way to the Warrior's Terrace, Siana became more and more excited.

"Hey, will I be able to turn orcs into sheep?"

"Certainly not! That is a mockery of the Light! …But you can smite them with holy fire…"

"Really?!"

Their voices faded as they went away.

* * *

Tenin had been surprised, but glad that Siana was going to train under his sister and had adapted so quickly. His opinion was that with the girl's short temper, she was much better suited for a warrior, but he kept it for himself.

A few months had swept by, and he couldn't help but notice that he had been right.

Siana's patience proved to be something nonexistent. She lost interest very quickly and got distracted easily, much to Sanaha's annoyance. Even when the girl was actually focused, her progress was little to none.

Initially, the young priestess of Elune tried not to give up and be patient with her new apprentice. But she soon realized that in Siana's case, her persistence would be useless. Eventually, Sanaha finally accepted that the girl was really not cut out for a priestess.

She was glad that Siana had come to terms with that as well, so there were only positive feelings when Sanaha told Tenin it was better for her protégé to be transferred to the group of the warriors.

Tenin had expressed his willingness to train Siana himself, but they then agreed it would be better if she was apprenticed under Tenin's trainer. Being under the same master would give him the opportunity to closely observe her progress and even train directly with her.

Siana had been unsure of herself at first. Her physical condition was generally worse than that of all night elves, so she had to work twice as hard – first to catch up with them and then to surpass them.

Her stubbornness aided her in that. What she lacked in strength and speed she made up for with spirit and emotion. She was the most persistent fighter of all.

She learned techniques quicker than all the others, and used them to her advantage when sparring. The flexibility of her style perplexed even her trainer.

Luckily, the other young warriors were very supportive and valued their human fellow apprentice highly both for her zeal and healing skills. A few healing spells were all that she'd learned from her time as a priestess, but they came in handy more times than she could count.

Right now she was adding another one, using a quick heal on Tenin.

"Oh, Tenin! How many times must master Find'alar tell you!"

"Hmm, let's see… apparently, a lot!"

"I'm serious!" She said as she ceased her healing and put her hands on her hips after standing up from next to him.

"Well, it's not my fault!" he protested, still sprawled out on the grass at her feet.

"I've no idea how you remember everything Shan'do teaches. It's all a jumble, I just fight how I want."

Siana rolled her eyes.

"You keep doing that, and you'll fall behind me. You wouldn't want to be surpassed by "the little human girl", would you?" she said with a pout.

"No matter, even with all your techniques you still can't beat me!" he snorted playfully.

The girl felt as if steam came out of her ears. She hated it when he underestimated her like that, and on purpose.

"Oh yes?! Well… I'll beat you to a pulp some day, just you wait!"

He loved how she always got angry when he reminded her of that. Indeed, not even once had she been able to defeat him, even with her peculiar style, except only one time when he was so tired that he let her tie. Find'alar didn't let that past him, of course, and he always encouraged and cheered up Siana. He only spared her the knowledge that Tenin was the best among all the young warriors – the feisty girl would easily complain to that and demand fairer treatment.

Said girl pouted and crossed her arms, turning away from Tenin.

"Come on, you slackers! Move it, unless you really want to run around the Cenarion Enclave and back again!" Find'alar's voice reached them.

The two _really _didn't want to do that.

Tenin came up behind the still pouting Siana. He put his large hands on her shoulders.

"Come on, little Shala, let's get to work on your next defeat." he whispered playfully in her ear.

She barely kept from blushing as they walked back to the sparring ground.

A few minutes later, she was flat on her back as usual and Tenin was smirking from above next to her.

She huffed and turned away. Yup, she was defeated again.

"Not bad, Siana." Their trainer shouted from nearby. "But with that knuckle-head, there's no chance! That's enough for today." He dismissed them.

Siana raised an eyebrow as Tenin winked at her and gathered his things to go home. He had a feeling Siana wouldn't be following him soon.

That evening, Sanaha passed by the Warrior's Terrace on her way home. There was no one there and the place looked deserted, serene under the light of the full moon. She narrowed her eyes and saw a small figure ahead.

It was Siana, still training.

The young night elf priestess smiled and decided not to let the young little warrior know that she'd passed by. She watched on from her place turned hiding spot.

Not much time had passed yet the development of the girl was evident. She had grown a little physically and a lot in strength, skill and spirit. Sanaha watched her fluid movements. It was like she wasn't training, jumping and practicing, but dancing, a deadly dance that could strike down an enemy in a few moments.

Siana practiced her moves and techniques with a fierce grace, the one characteristic only of night elves.

She was but a silhouette in the distance, a dark warrior bathed in moonlight. One moment she walked, circled the sparring site slowly, the next she was a blur of spins and kicks.

The young priestess of Elune admired the human girl from a distance, knowing that Siana thought she was so different from the nocturnal elves, but she didn't know in fact how much in common they had.

Sanaha saw and knew that her one-time-apprentice put heart and soul into her training and fights, just like night elves always did. The female night elf walked away, smiling again, assured that she had made the right decision.

It was as if Siana had been born for this, to aid the Alliance, but not with a kind word, not with faith in the Light. That was not how alliances were made. That was not how wars were waged. Not how wars were won.

They were won with sword and axe, enemies understood nothing else. Negotiations, orders – that was all formality, stalling, and Sanaha knew that. So did her whole race, even if they tried as much as they could to keep away from such things, secluded and hidden within their sacred forests.

In the end, it all came down to war and in the end, no matter of race, class, gender – the profession was war.

The priestesses were no different in this than rogues and warriors. They were all instruments of war, but in a way, the priestesses were like the arrow of an archer, and the warriors – the hammer of a Paladin.

And the young girl was no exception.

In the world of Azeroth, only one thing was prevalent, only one thing was certain – war. Those who avoided it, cowered from it, were obliterated first. They had no place in the world. Night elves had learned from that mistake, they were now much less peaceful and distant from before.

They, and every creature upon that wretched world had learned that only those who embraced war had the right and the chance to exist. If they wanted to live, to exist, they had to take up the art of war and master it.

For in the end, they were all nothing more than artists. Artists of Warcraft.

With this in her mind, Sanaha made her way to her home.

***

"Tenin, what are you doing?"

The priestess's younger brother looked up dully from his place on the floor and sighed.

"It's late, we're both up for an early morning tomorrow. Let's get to bed." she bid.

"I'm not tired." Tenin muttered.

Sanaha raised a bushy eyebrow.

"Of course. There is a perfectly logical explanation about the reason your eyes are practically drifting closed that doesn't involve exhaustion."

He groaned in irritation.

"You know, I really hate it when you get like that!"

His sister chuckled, but her laughter soon passed when she saw her brother's expression.

"What's wrong, brother? I know this face. Why don't you tell me what's troubling you."

The young warrior bit his lip.

"Well, it's about Siana…"

Sanaha nodded, listening carefully.

"She… I don't know…" he sighed, "I don't know how to explain it. I see that she's happy here but I feel that there is something happening to her. She's… changing somehow, in front of my eyes. But I have this nagging gut feeling that something is going to happen to her."

His words puzzled the female night elf. She hadn't expected that her brother was so concerned about the young girl, nor had she seen or sensed anything peculiar about her. She would keep a better eye on her from now on.

"Do you want to know what I feel, brother?"

He looked up to her.

"I feel that you are thinking too much." she smiled. "That can do things to the unused minds, you know!"

"Oh, great, mock me, why don't you!" he pretended to be upset, but his sister's playful words did accomplished their goal to chase away his worries and brought a smile to his face as well.

Sanaha felt relieved now that she'd calmed her brother. She didn't want him to worry over Siana, at least not until she'd looked into matters herself.

She walked over to the warrior, who was still seated on the floor. She smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder. He smiled back and she went to her room to sleep.

Tenin followed soon after.

****************************************************************

**A/N: Happy New Year to all!**

**I apologize for the not-so-soon update, holidays and all ^_^ I hope everyone had a great time at Christmas, New Year and whatever other holidays you celebrate.**

**May your new year be merry, successful and filled with lovely, interesting moments for you to remember!**

**To HOLIDAYS! *toasts***


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI**

**!! – Author's Note: in this chapter, I will attempt the famous, almighty **_**timeskip! **_**That is to say, a few years have passed. Another thing – if by any chance this has confused you, let me make it clear: in **_italic _**are written ****thoughts,**** a.k.a. things that I, you or my characters only think but do not say out loud.**

**Like, this week, one of the teachers tried to lower my grade, and I was thinking: **_That bitch! I haven't worked all semester for her to do that! _**, but what I actually said was: "Oh, please don't do that! I promise I'll do better next time!"**

**Damn, now I wish I HAD said what was on my mind. Oh, her expression would have been priceless…**

**Also, I have switched to OpenOffice, so this chapter may look different from the previous one which were done in MS Word.**

**Anywaaaay, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warcraft and I do not profit from this story. The only profit is the joy and fuzzy giddiness when I receive a review ^_^**

"Hey girl! Will you at least watch where you're going?!"

"Ah! I'm really sorry!"

"Why are you in such a rush, anyway?" the Ancient asked, helping the girl untangle herself from the thick vines of his beard in which she had stumbled in her hurry.

"Well, I have to find Priestess Sanaha quickly. Have you seen her?" the girl asked while standing up.

Renus waved his branched hand nonchalantly.

"Yes, she passed by on her way to her brother. That young warrior... what was his name?"

"Tenin. Whatever, did she say where she was going?" Siana asked hurriedly.

"Well, as I helped her free herself from my beard, like I am helping you now, she said something about going to have a 'very important talk' with her brother"

Siana's face lit up.

"Alright. Thanks!" she shouted behind her shoulder as she dashed off.

"You are most welcome. Hey, where are you running off to?" the Ancient inquired, but was not heard for Siana had already gone out of sight.

"Sanaha?"

The human girl burst in her friends' house, slamming the door behind her, panting.

The night elf siblings were sitting at the table across from each other, a scroll lying on the table between them and both their faces looked very serious until Sanaha startled.

"Praise Elune, Siana, how many times have I told you to at least knock before you march in somewhere!"

Siana completely ignored the often heard scolding and bent slightly, putting her hands on her knees while she tried to catch her breath.

"Ugh... Priestess Tyrande... oof.... she called for you. You are to get to the Temple immediately."

Sanaha stood up and hurriedly rolled back the scroll laid out on the table.

"Very well. I will get going at once then." she said as she tucked it away in her shimmering silver robe. "And...." she gave her brother, who was still seated at the table, a stern glare with her glowing eyes and he nodded almost imperceptibly. Then she marched out, leaving Siana to catch her breath and her brother still at the table.

Siana made her way to Tenin's bed and with an exhausted sigh sprawled herself gracelessly atop it, not caring that she was lying over her pouch.

The young warrior moved to the chair next to the bed with his hands across.

"Even after all that training you still can't run without getting like this." he chuckled.

"Oh just shut up!" she grumbled and turned from her side to her back, completely lying over her bag.

"One day you are going to kill yourself, I swear. And it won't be an enemy, you just need to plop yourself like that over that knife-filled bag of yours. Now sit up before you stab yourself!"

"Uh-uh." came her childish reply.

Tenin sighed and rolled his shining eyes as he bent over her to unstrap the bag which she'd fastened low around her hips. He hovered over her form and an odd feeling came to him, one that visited him quite often these days.

Every day when his eyes set upon her, he started to think about how much she'd changed in the past few years. She was pushing seventeen, but he seemed not to have noticed until now. And suddenly he found himself forced to start thinking of her less as "the little human girl" and more as "that human girl".

While her attitude and personality had changed only in view on the night elves, her body was hardly the same as the one he'd dragged out from the water that day. She'd grown much taller, even though she still hardly reached his neck. Her wavy auburn hair had grown out as well, now reaching halfway down her back, and she still had that habit of twirling one of its locks around her finger when she was nervous. Said hair was now in disarray around her face as she'd deliberately closed her eyes, feigning sleep.

Tenin allowed his eyes to roam over the rest of her form. His gaze slid from her closed eyes along her face to her dark pink full lips, then down her elegant neck to linger at her chest. The young night elf didn't allow himself to look at her plump, round breasts for longer than was considered acceptable and instead moved to her slender waist and down her toned stomach. Constant training had shaped the rest of her body wonderfully, he noticed, as his eyes trailed along firm, but curvaceous hips and down rounded thighs to her toned calves. Yes, she'd definitely grown in all the right places.

_Not that that was meant as anything more than _noticing,_ no! Just noticing._

His hands then carefully unstrapped her pouch and threw it onto the ground. The clatter from inside startled Siana and she ceased her feign sleep. She raised herself on her elbows and her brown eyes met Tenin's, which were now looking at her seriously.

"What? Is there something wrong?" she asked worriedly.

Remembering his discussion with his older sister and the silent promise he'd given not to tell Siana about it, Tenin averted his eyes nervously.

"No... nothing."

Siana chuckled and ruffled his short dark blue spikes with her hand.

"You are still bad at lying and covering stuff up, you know? What is it? Come on, you can tell me." she said soothingly.

"Technically, I can't." he said, not at all relaxed. He was met by a confused gaze.

"Meaning that I shouldn't."

"And when has that ever stopped you?"

Tenin sighed. "Sanaha will kill me later, but that wouldn't be the first time. She wanted to be the one to tell you, but since you're so insistent..."

Siana's curiosity had grown immensely when she saw Tenin being secretive like that, and she pressed on.

"So are you going to tell me or what?"

The young night elf licked his lips, as if still debating with himself whether to compromise his sister's order.

"It's just that... Sanaha and I are worried about you."

"What for?"

"Well...," he paused, "orders have come in about a fifteen-man mission to Azshara."

From the way Siana's eyes widened Tenin saw that in the next few seconds he was going to be bombarded with questions, so he quickly went on.

"I don't know the details, but Sanaha told me the mission calls for a priest, four rogues and ten warriors. You are among the chosen warriors, I am not."

Siana's expression got serious and she started catching on to why her friends were both so worried. She had gone out of Darnassus on missions before, but Tenin had always accompanied her. However, she had never left Teldrassil island before. She was excited about the idea of finally going to Kalimdor on a mission on her own, but she didn't want Sanaha or Tenin to feel the need to be with her or to worry about her. But she had the feeling they would do that anyway, as she was chosen for that mission, and nothing could guarantee her safety.

Siana opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment the sound of the front door opening reached their ears. They turned their heads to see Sanaha, who came in wordlessly and seated herself at the table. She cupped her face in her hands and sighed tiredly.

Suddenly, Siana felt indignation.

_Why was I kept in the dark about the mission? About all this? Who is Sanaha to keep something like that from me?!_

She frowned and stood up, her hands balled into fists at her sides.

"When were you planning to tell me about this, huh?!" she demanded angrily.

Sanaha raised her head and looked at her confusedly for a moment, then switched to her brother. When she saw his guilty expression, everything became clear to her and her long eyebrows knitted.

"I told you not to tell her!" she said to her brother angrily.

"Tenin is not the one at fault here! He told me because I asked him to. There's no use hiding it anymore, so why don't you tell me everything now?"

Siana felt she'd gone a tad too far. She'd never seen Sanaha look so serious or angry before. Probably offended by the girl's outburst, she felt she should lay the details of the mission on her much sharper than she'd planned.

"Very well." she said in a cold tone. "As you probably know already, you've been chosen for a mission to Azshara. Priestess Whisperwind called me to inform me of a few more details." Sanaha brought out the scroll she had left with and unrolled it on the table.

"There have been more and more reports of orc activity in the Grim Ulang camp. The most recent one indicates that there is a link between that camp and the satyr massacre of Haldarr in the same region. The report from the kaldorei station in Azshara also adds that there have been sightings of strange vegetation mutations which can only be caused by... fel energy."

Siana's eyes widened.

"The night elves in Azshara have asked for a group consisting of ten warriors, four rogues and one priest. The team is to join up with the local elven squad in Azshara and investigate a large area around the orc and satyr encampments. Should enemies be found, they are to be terminated and their plans – thwarted."

Sanaha's expression softened and became worried.

"Priestess Whisperwind called me to confirm that you are among the ten chosen warriors, and to reject my request to be given the place of the priest in the group."

"What is the deadline for departure?"

"In one month, it's not so close. Actually that was another postponement. The latest instructions to the warriors are that they should use the remaining time to become proficient in at least two of the rogue stealth techniques. That was decided because of the large number of orcs, as the last report says, but it is unconfirmed. The squads are to carefully search the area upon arrival, without drawing attention to themselves and if they indeed discover a larger number of orcs, they are to abandon the mission and return so as to avoid the loss of precious forces."

As the female night elf had spoken, Siana had got more and more nervous about her upcoming assignment and understood the seriousness of it with better clarity. Suddenly she felt she wasn't ready for this. Her excitement had been replaced by feelings of uncertainty, she started doubting her own capabilities. She turned her worried gaze to Tenin, who put a large hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"Well, now that you know everything, we need to talk about your training with the rogues."

Siana tried to set her mind to work and think about her training and and the mission, and assured herself that there was nothing to worry about.

"Oh, right. When do I have to start?"

"As soon as possible. Tomorrow morning, preferably."

_This really is serious! But it's happening so fast... I mean I've wanted to be sent on mission outside Teldrassil for quite a while, but this is..._

The girl tried to push away the uncertainty but the feeling that she was about to get into something beyond her level continued to nag.

"So, uh... What exactly am I expected to learn from the rogues?" she asked, trying to sound calm, but the nervousness in her voice gave her away.

Sanaha shrugged.

"Don't know. I've already told you all the information I was given."

Siana frowned.

"The information _you were given_? Wait, who is in charge of organizing this operation? Priestess Tyrande?"

"Yes, as far as I know." Sanaha nodded. "But I have my suspicions as to why she refused to tell me more."

The girl easily understood why exactly that had been.

"Well, since you are not going to be part of this mission, she probably didn't see fit to entrust you with more than you already know."

"She probably thought that the more you knew about it, the more you would try to exclude Siana from it?" Tenin interjected.

His sister's brow furrowed as she almost pouted – she didn't like how her private doubts were so easily taken to the surface.

"Anyway," she said, "Siana is to report at the main gate at sunrise tomorrow, which means she had better go to sleep. Now." at that the young priestess yawned widely, unlike her usual elegant self – she had to be very drained from the whole day. She bid her brother and Siana good night and made her way to her room.

After they heard her door close, Siana finally felt how tired she was as well.

"Yeah, Sanaha's right. I should go to bed. I'm beat!" she said as she stretched groggily. "Night, Tenin."

She turned to leave, but the night elf caught her hand and pulled her close.

"What is it?" the girl asked and looked up to his bright eyes.

"Listen, Siana, I want to warn you about something." he said quietly. "Be careful with those rogues. It's not like... well, they are elf kin, our own people, but they _are _rogues. I don't trust them."

Siana giggled quietly.

"It's alright, Tenin, I can take care of myself. Don't worry over me."

Tenin sighed. "I guess you're right. But if I were you, I would be careful."

"It will be fine, I promise. Good night Tenin." she said and she went to her room opposite Sanaha's.

The young night elf warrior's gaze lingered in her direction for a while after she left.

"Yeah... good night."

Azhara – Grim Ulang → fel orcs → Haldarr Felsworn


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

**A/N: What's up everyone? ^_^ The last chappie was shorter but bear with me, it was for a purpose. **

**Without further ado, here's chapter VII.**

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

Siana had tossed and turned in the bed all night, the thoughts about the mission didn't give her peace. She finally fell asleep, but had to get up quickly when the first signs of dawn started to show in the night sky. She didn't want to wait for Sanaha or Tenin to come to wake her up so she got up herself with a groan.

She rubbed the sleep away from her eyes and stood up, pulling her simple night gown over her head. The girl threw on her black leather boots and searched around the dim room for her clothes, not caring about the possibility of Tenin coming in any moment and catching her naked.

Siana felt that she should dress differently today, as she would have business with rogues. She forwent her usual baggy leather pants and put on some tight ones of thick green cloth that reached till mid-calf. She dressed in her usual top however, which consisted of dark cloth sleeves separately from a skin-tight thin leather chest piece which covered her torso down to her waist.

Instantly she felt up to sneaking around like a rogue, but decided to limit the sneaking to just leaving earlier so Tenin or Sanaha didn't have the chance to direct some last-minute warnings at her.

She grabbed her pouch on the way and strapped it to her thigh. She didn't bother to take any other weapons as she wasn't going on a fight training.

She then quietly exited her room and tip-toed across Tenin's. At the front door she stopped to take a look at his form to find him still sleeping soundly. She smiled and went out.

On her way to the arranged place she met Renus, who was on an early morning patrol and kindly offered to take her to the gate as he was going there as well.

The Ancient sensed that his friend was a little tense somehow, so he kept from asking about her business as he usually did. She herself made an exception to her usual routine of telling him all about it. Siana just kept silent from her place on Renus's shoulder with her gaze directed at the pinkish streaks across the sky which signaled daybreak. The several dark blue clouds lend color to the dawn landscape across the sky.

Renus dropped the girl off at the gate and waved her goodbye after she mouthed her thanks absently.

Siana leaned on a column and yawned. No one else was there yet and she pondered why exactly she had come that early, to take her mind off the only theme that dominated her thoughts since last night – the mission.

Within the next few minutes arrived nine other young night elves. All were warriors, and most of them Siana had trained together with. No one spoke about the mission but the girl could tell that they were all much more at ease about it than she was. That actually helped her and she relaxed and started a casual chat with her fellow trainees.

Just as they were laughing about a joke one of the warriors had made, they saw a single male night elf approaching them. Laughter ceased.

When the elf got closer, they saw he had short dark green hair and was dressed in dark clothes which clung to his body.

"Elune-adore" he greeted them when he came to them. "Are you the warriors who were asked to meet me here?"

Multiple "yes"es sounded. Siana nodded.

"Good. Now follow me and I'll take you to where you will be taught what you need for your mission."

The young warriors passed glances amongst each other and followed him. They somehow sensed that they would be told all they needed to know, no more and no less, and questions would not matter.

_Well, he sure is big on instructions, _Siana thought. As the night elves walked behind the rogue, she came up front to him.

"May I ask your name?" she said in Common.

"My name is of no importance to you." he replied quietly in Darnassian, seemingly not caring about the fact that he was speaking to a human who may not the language. "But if you really must know, I'm Daghdar"

Fortunately, Siana had picked up very quickly on the language and for the past few years had used it exclusively, so she understood what Daghdar said. However, it was considered quite impolite among night elves to speak their own language when communicating with a representative of another race. Not that Siana lingered on it much, but it was safe to say that her first impression of rogues wasn't exactly superb. She hadn't had anything to do with them previously, so she hadn't had any expectations, but based on first impression, she found them aloof. That was the nature of night elves in general, but rogues in particular were seemingly too much like that for her liking.

The group went back to the inside of the city and Siana wondered why Daghdar didn't have them meet there instead, but she just took it as another of his oddities. Lost in thought, she nearly tripped when the rogue suddenly turned right and led the warriors past the Craftsmen's Terrace. The human had never really spend much time here so she followed the rogue closely, but when he led them behind it she was certain it had never occurred to her to come here.

Suddenly, Daghdar went out of sight. They had just circled the last building and the young warriors saw nothing but a large tree and there was no sign of the rogue. As her night elven friends were quietly voicing their confusion, Siana scowled and turned her attention to the huge tree, ignoring the others.

She circled the conifer and found a big hollow at the other side. She peeked inside and to her surprise, found that the hollow led to a dim tunnel, which apparently went spiraling downwards and underground.

"Guys, come here!" she shouted towards her confused friends.

They had barely come up to her when she went inside. The young warriors followed her, questions forgotten.

The tunnel went on and on, but after a few moments Siana saw light down below and the sound of male laughter reached her ears. She quickened pace and her warrior friends did the same. Finally, the tunnel stopped spiraling downwards and went straight for a few meters, then ended.

Siana stepped out of it and into what appeared to be a spacious cavern, illuminated by the light of many candles. In front of her were about fifteen male night elves, all sporting mischievous grins except for Daghdar, who stood stoically in front of them. The young warriors stepped out of the tunnel as well and stood behind the human girl.

"Well, I think that the human might make a half-decent mole, but you guys... I'm a bit disappointed." Daghdar said with his arms across, his face blank. "It appears we'll have a lot of work with you." he continued, directing his words at the warriors except for Siana, who had yet to say a word.

The rogue leader then walked to the space between both parties so everyone could hear him well.

"Alright, now listen up. You all have a maximum of four weeks to learn a technique to make your manner of action more covert. Each of you will be assigned to one of my boys. In pairs, you will train every day from sun-up to sundown. I will periodically check on your progress."

"How exactly?" a warrior asked.

"You will find out when the time comes." was Daghdar's slightly annoyed answer, which served to silence any further questions.

"The pairs are as follows: you!" he said pointing to Siana. She came up in front of him, waiting to be paired.

"Name?" Daghdar asked.

"Siana."

"Siana with Ilcoron." he announced. A black-haired night elf stepped forward and his grin widened as he offered his hand to Siana. She stretched out hers as well, thinking that he would shake it, but instead, Ilcoron just took it and lifted it to his lips, kissing it slightly.

"Pleased to meet you." he said, casting his amber eyes onto hers.

"Me too..." Siana muttered, fighting the blush which threatened to spill across her cheeks.

Ilcoron silently motioned for her to follow him and they both went behind Daghdar. Siana then saw that there were numerous staircases around the cavern, some going up and some – down. The night elf led her to one of those which spiraled upwards and slung an arm around her shoulders.

To say that Siana felt uncomfortable would be an understatement. She looked up to Ilcoron, who just flashed her a grin. The girl looked behind her shoulder as they climbed up and saw her friends were being paired.

"Vindariel with Ihsiut." she heard Daghdar's voice announce.

She turned back to to the rogue, whose hand appeared to have slipped a little lower.

"Uh, could you... you know..." she muttered nervously.

He chuckled and leaned to her ear. "Could I what?" he whispered huskily.

At that point, Siana got angry.

"Arm! Now!" she said sternly and pushed his arm off her shoulders angrily.

The next moment, however, she tripped and found herself sprawled over on the stairs. She cursed under her breath.

Ilcoron crossed his arms and smirked, towering over her. "Silly me! I could say 'I told you so', but I didn't tell you to be careful, did I?" he said as he scooped her up by her waist.

Siana was looking at her feet with a blush.

"Well, do be careful from now on when you don't want me helping you." the rogue's amber eyes rolled.

"Hn..."

They still climbed the steps side to side, but he didn't touch her again. The staircase suddenly ended and Siana found herself on a narrow ledge facing a wooden door. Ilcoron didn't make a move to enter but just watched her expectantly, and Siana took it as an invitation to go in first.

She tried to open the door, but it didn't give in. By then she was quite tired of rogue oddities and games.

"It's locked." she said, turning to Ilcoron who had his arms across again.

"You will have the honor to open it."

"There's... no key." the girl said confusedly.

The night elf raised his black eyebrows. "So?"

Siana's eyes narrowed and he saw an angry flash in them for a second.

After that, she kicked the door down with a grunt. The heavy door fell with a loud thud which echoed throughout the cavern. Ilcoron guessed the others must have heard it, as the voices which could be heard faintly from below suddenly went silent.

"My my, aren't you a feisty one..." he said as he made his way into the room behind the knocked down door. Siana didn't say anything and just followed him in.

They stepped into a dim room, not too big, but not exactly spacious either. There was nothing in it except for a lantern which casted a soft blueish glow and the girl felt like she'd just entered a cell. She hesitated to go in any further and just watched Ilcoron go to the center of the room.

Only then did she actually take the opportunity to size him up. He was dressed in an attire similar to Daghdar's – simple leather shoes and dark tight-fitting clothes which outlined the night elf's lean, muscled physique. His lustrous black hair was not long and was disheveled, adding to his casual appeal. _And that of a pest. _It all seemed to be about simplicity – the rogue didn't wear a cloak, nor did she see any bags or weapons on him, but she assumed that was because he would be needing them as he was merely going to teach a stealth technique.

Ilcoron probably noticed she was eying him and his mischievous grin appeared again.

"I take it you see something you like." he said cheekily. Siana startled and quickly looked away. But there was nothing in the room to set her eyes upon, so she turned them at him again.

"Alright, you're here to be taught something, so I might as well get to it." he said with a sigh.

Before she had any chance to react or say something, Ilcoron suddenly dashed towards her, in lightning-quick speed, as it appeared to the girl, he circled her twice and when she turned to see him, he was gone.

"Huh?" Siana stared in front of herself confusedly. The rogue was gone! She turned round and searched the dim room for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

_He can't have just vanished into thin air... could he?_

The girl snorted with annoyance.

_If I can't spot him, then I'll feel him!_

With that thought, she stretched her arms and started going around the room slowly, waving about as if she was blind. She got to the door and for a second wondered if he was even in the room and hadn't just run away, but she brushed it off, certain that she would have heard him. She swerved right.

She heard a low chuckle behind her and quickly rushed in the direction, but couldn't touch anything except the wall.

"You can't catch what you can't see, girl!" an amused voice sounded to her right. Siana was ready to dash there right away, but some obscene logic prompted her to go in just the opposite direction. She had a feeling she could catch him, feel him from the left, where the lantern was standing.

With a growl, she swung her fist and punched blindly to the space around it. She was certain she would hit the wall, but her knuckles connected with something softer – firm living flesh.

Siana then finally noticed him to the left of the lantern. It was bizarre, as if he had just appeared out of nowhere.

His slightly bent form was hardly visible as his dark clothes almost blended with the wall; his image was hardly detectable, almost transparent. Ilcoron grunted and stepped forward so Siana could see him better, he was clutching his stomach.

A few moments later, however, his annoying smirk was back in place and his amber eyes were looking down at the human.

"Not bad," he said, "it usually takes them longer to find me. Of course, you can't see me, it's quite hard, especially in here. They usually don't sense me until I stab them in the back." he chuckled darkly. "But you, dear, may have a knack for this. Your senses must be heightened."

Siana was not sure whether that was a compliment or not, so she stood silent.

"Alright. That was a quick demonstration of what you must learn. Now, you will most probably have a harder time with this than your warrior friends, seeing as how you're human. We night elves are built for being stealthy. Most of us can become almost unseen while stationary. We meld with the shadows. So basically, your friends already know half the technique, they only need to learn to use it while moving. You, on the other hand, have to start from scratch."

"So... what must I do?"

Ilcoron pondered for a moment.

"Well, for starters, I think I'll teach you how to move absolutely soundlessly. If you master that, it's equivalent to rogue stealth. Now that I think about it, it's impossible for you to learn Shadowmeld. Night elves are the only race that have that ability. So work with what you've got."

Siana nodded.

"So what I'll have you do now is for you to try and sneak up on me."

"How exactly?" she asked.

"Go out of the room. I'll turn around and close my eyes, say I don't see you – I'm going to be your unsuspecting victim. When you are ready, come up to me as quietly as you can, and try to immobilize me. Got it?"

Siana had "got" it in terms of the proverbial "getting it", but she didn't get how she was going to sneak up on a rogue. Nevertheless, she gave Ilcoron the word.

"Starting now."

The night elf gave a curt nod and turned around.

The girl exited the room. She gave a look past her shoulder to the rogue. Then she leaned on the wall left of the door she'd kicked down.

She knew her attempt would probably be pitiful to him, but she was determined to do her best. He had confused her that he was behind her, when in fact he had been in the opposite direction. It seemed like a good plan to do the same, something that he probably wouldn't expect her to come up with. Siana didn't know how he had done it, though, and she tried to come up with a way to achieve the same effect.

She could use the noise from an object to cover the sound of her own movement. She searched herself for something she could use, and was glad she had taken her knife pouch. She smirked.

Siana had left Ilcoron to wait for quite a while and he was starting to get slightly annoyed that he was forced to wait for her.

Outside the room, Siana was unstrapping the bag from her thigh. She snuck to the door as quietly as she could and gripped her pouch tightly to prevent the knives inside from clattering and giving her away. Her eyes were trained on the night elf's tall form as she licked her lips and prepared to make her move.

Ilcoron was a bit surprised. He had felt her watching him for a while and he knew she would attack any moment. He suddenly heard a clatter to his left and quickly turned in that direction, ready to grab her, but all he saw was a small bag on the floor. Realizing his mistake, he tried to stand up as quickly as he could, but before he could do that, Siana came like a flash from behind, throwing her arms around his waist in a firm grip to send him face-first to the floor. However, Ilcoron was too experienced to fall for another cheap trick, and when he felt her touching him, instantly he grabbed her shoulders and flung her forward and over him with a little force.

"Argh!" a slightly pained cry sounded as the girl fell on her side a few meters away from the elf. When she managed to sit up, Ilcoron was already coming towards her slowly, arms crossed, an amused expression on his handsome face.

"Again - not bad. For a first attempt, anyway." he said as he picked her up by her waist. She ignored that and watched him expectantly, waiting for explanation of what she'd done wrong.

"The distraction was a nice touch. You'll be surprised how much it helps on the field. It does me," he smiled, "However, I could feel you watching me intently. That is something you need to avoid. Almost all creatures can feel when they are being watched or followed and they usually move away from the threat. So you need to make your move quickly before your target catches on. But that biggest problem you have is the noise. You move too noisily. You can't hope to always have something to use as a distraction and to cover your footsteps. You must learn to walk and run without any sound whatsoever."

"Alright then. Get ready, I want to try again."

Siana didn't know why, but all of a sudden she found her hardworking mode. As with her warrior training throughout the years, she now wanted to master this new one as well. She didn't confess it to herself, but she liked to be challenged and the mischievous rogue proved to be great challenge indeed.

As he turned away, she picked her pouch up, scowling with concentration.

The distraction thing was indeed of some help, but she couldn't rely on just that. She had to make her movements graceful and soundless, like a feline prowling in the cover of darkness. She carefully examined the night elf again. His dark clothes blending with the surroundings and darkness, his soft shoes which didn't make a sound when he walked.

The girl went out and with a serious expression started to pull her leather chestpiece over her head, not caring someone could see her. She turned it inside out so its inner black side was the one in front and put it back on quickly. She took her boots off and set them aside, then took one of the straps of her pouch and used it to tie her hair in a bun. She tightened it and then took a single knife from her pouch.

Ilcoron could hear the rustling of clothes from outside and smirked with his eyes still closed. The girl was probably planning something... naked.

Siana stepped as quietly as she could back in the room, her bare feet feeling the rough floor. This time, she made a wide circle around the rogue and stopped in front of him. If he had heard her, he didn't show it.

_I can do it..._

She could feel her heartbeat getting faster, louder, she felt as if he would hear it, the blood rushing through her body and thumping in her ears.

_I can do it..._

She gripped the small dagger in her hand tightly. This had to be quick. She bent nearly on her hand and knees like a cat preparing to pounce.

The young warrior then flung the knife directly up. It ricocheted off the ceiling and hit Ilcoron directly in the neck. If he hadn't been wearing some armor, she could have killed him.

Ilcoron knew that she would use a distraction and had planned to counter her from exactly the opposite direction where she would be standing if she had indeed used a distraction. But he hadn't expected her to fling a knife at him. At least he knew there was no way she could be in front of him when the dagger had come from behind. He turned round and opened his eyes, preparing to stop her in her track where she'd be standing a few meters away. But he saw nothing.

_Now!_

Siana darted forward, bent low to the ground, she punched right behind his knees.

Ilcoron lost balance. Normally, Siana would have her target flat on his face on the ground, but she only managed to bring him to his knees. Frustrated with her failure, she growled and still tried to take him down, swinging her legs so he was between them as she used her weight to press him down.

She succeeded to some degree, bringing him to rest on his elbows as he twisted to face the girl. She saw his significantly amused expression and ceased her efforts.

"Good, very good," he commented, "but it was quite easy to read. Plus I could still hear you. Good thinking losing the shoes, by the way. Want to lose something else?" he finished with a smirk.

Siana blushed a deep pink, grateful that the dimness in the room would hide it from him.

"I want to try again." she said.

"No, it's enough for today. You most probably have lost track of time. In case you don't know, it's already evening."

Siana wondered how he'd determined that, but she guessed she still had a lot more to learn about rogues.

"So what do you want me to do then," she asked.

Ilcoron's smirk only became wider.

"While you're there, mostly I want you to wriggle!"

Suddenly very aware that she was still straddling him, Siana felt a little mischievous.

"What, like that?" she said, rolling her hips over his a little.

"Yeah, like that," he hummed.

Realizing what she'd just done, Siana's blush turned crimson as she scrambled to get off him.

"Did your legs fall asleep?" he asked with a pout as he got up himself, brushing a strand of black hair that had swung over his amber eyes.

Siana went to get her boots and put them back on, not saying a thing, but that was only until he unceremoniously scooped her up in his strong arms and carried her out of the room.

"Put me down, Ilcoron! I can walk by myself!" she shouted.

He just glanced at her for a second and said, "No."

"I said, put me down! _Right now!_" she repeated in a threatening tone.

"You're not tumbling down those stairs by yourself until you improve your lacking coordination." he said blandly.

"My coordination is not lacking..." she argued, but the anger was subsiding. It was mostly because, as she discovered, being cradled like that in his arms wasn't half bad.

_What?! Yes, it is! Isn't it...?_

Ilcoron carried Siana downstairs where he finally set her down. Daghdar was already there and looked at his student with a questioning expression.

"The mole's pretty good. Give her a week or two and she might actually do something." the younger rogue said amusedly.

Daghdar just nodded. He had called for all the others to finish up and gather in the main hall. Pair by pair, the night elves started showing up, some from beneath, others coming down the curving staircases.

When everybody had appeared, Daghdar went in front of them again.

"This has been your first day of training. I trust that you found it useful. Many more days await you and I will be checking your progress."

Meanwhile, the warriors had gathered in their own group closer to the exit, the rogues opposite them.

"You may go now," their trainer said. "Now you know the way to your new training ground, so tomorrow at dawn I will expect every last one of you here. Asha'falah!"

With that, he dismissed them.

Immediately a lively chatter began amongst the young warriors as they started to climb up the tunnel. Siana fell behind and cast Ilcoron one last glance. He just winked at her and she quickly made her way to the exit.

When she finally came up of the tunnel and out the hollow in the giant tree, all her friends had already gone.

The girl walked slowly in a daze, thinking about her strange day. She looked up and was surprised to see the ink-black sky already covered with stars. The moon was shining brightly, peeking above the tops of the trees.

With a sigh, Siana quickened her step and made her way home. Tenin and Sanaha had probably gone to bed already.

She came in quietly and, remembering her new training, tried to see how soundlessly she could move. She snuck to her room but just before she went in, Sanaha came as if out of nowhere.

"Siana! Your training finishes pretty late! How did it go?"

"Quite well," the girl answered. "Has Tenin gone to sleep?"

"Yes, a little while ago," the priest replied, gesturing to the door behind her. "He said he really wanted to wait for you, but I told him I would."

"Oh. Well, I'm quite tired, so I'm going to turn in as well. I'm up for an early morning tomorrow too. Every day this month, actually. Good night."

"Good night. And Siana?"

"What is it?" she asked, turning to the young priestess.

"Please don't sneak out like this morning."

"Yes, sorry about that," the girl said awkwardly. "I won't. Good night, Sanaha."

Siana went into her room, sighing as she closed the door behind her. She took her leather boots off and suddenly felt so tired that she didn't bother with putting on a nightgown. She just took off her chestpiece and threw in on the floor, her pouch and tight green pants following suit. She hadn't eaten anything all day, but food was the last thing on her mind.

The girl climbed onto her bed and plopped down heavily, almost forgetting to tuck herself in. She fell asleep in the middle of a yawn.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter VIII

**A/N: Hello all! Spring is on its way but for me, that just means more duties :( Anyway, how are you enjoying this fic? I hope you are having as much fun reading it as I am writing it ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warcraft and I do not profit from this story. My only gain is the warm fuzzy feeling of joy and love I get when I receive a review :D**

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Siana awoke after what had seemed like only a few seconds, but actually was an hour before sunrise. A massive growl from her own stomach filled the room. As she finally remembered she hadn't eaten anything the previous day a low chuckle sounded in the room.

"Tenin?"

She looked round to find him sitting next to her bed, watching her. She wondered if he had been there all night, but not for longer than a moment.

"I'm starving!"

"You know, I always wonder where you put it all!" he laughed, and then handed her a plate.

In it were a dozen of Siana's favorite berries along with a big piece of sweet Darnassian cornbread. On the table was a big cup of melon juice.

Siana's eyes lit up.

"What would I do without you," she said, as she quickly threw the covers of her bed and eagerly sat herself across him on the table in her room. Along the way she caught a glimpse of her nightgown, quickly remembering she hadn't put it on when she'd gone to bed. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks as she inwardly sighed, glad that she'd kept her undershirt on.

"You'll probably starve."

"Well, if you sh'eep shpoiling -ee, I 'on't ge agle tha geth off the bed!" she brought out between a mouthful.

"It's just to compensate. I missed you yesterday morning, so..." he trailed off.

The girl felt guilty while she swallowed.

"I promise not to run away from your delicious displays of affection anymore," she said and took a big sip of melon juice.

Siana probably didn't realized the double meaning Tenin could find in her comical promise, but he did and was on the verge of blushing.

"So tell me about the new training!" he tried to sound cheerful.

"It's challenging," she admitted, "but it's difficult for me, more so than for any night elf."

"Why would it be hard for _you_? Who told you that?"

Siana didn't know why, but she felt she didn't want to tell Tenin about Ilcoron.

"No one, I just... figured it's like this. The whole thing for night elves is to just learn to use Shadowmeld while moving, which is quite impossible for me. I'm doing well though, for a first day at least."

"It's understandable, I think. I guess you have to undo part of what you've been taught up to now. We warriors are taught to be vicious and unceremonious, and now you have to learn exactly the opposite – to lurk in the shadows, doing your best not to come to light."

Siana had stopped eating, carefully looking at the young night elf whose gaze was buried at his hands on the table. He was acting a bit strange, it wasn't like him to express such pondering. He looked up at her with a serious expression.

"The shadows may help you, but don't embrace them. They should only be a means to achieve success in your mission. Discard them immediately after, don't let them hold you to them. Keep the heart of a warrior you have." he said quietly.

Siana could not answer anything and just followed his form with her eyes as he wished her a successful day and left her room.

She quietly finished her meal and it tasted unusually sweet. She then dressed and put on soft leather sandals which muffed the sound of her steps. She silently wrapped two small daggers securely on each thigh and went out in the pinkish light the rising sun cast on the night elven capital.

The girl was absent the whole day, earning a scold from Ilcoron. She didn't answer and simply carried on trying to sneak up on him. Her lack of concentration, contrary to the rogue's thoughts, actually helped her breeze by him, somehow more soundlessly than the day before. She was progressing quickly and at one time asked herself when and how exactly Daghdar was going to check on her. She expected him to come, but he didn't and she and Ilcoron finished for the day, him complimenting on her improvement.

Siana didn't rush on her way back, instead tried to postpone seeing Tenin and Sanaha. She didn't find them home though, so she went out to get herself something for dinner.

_Odd, they should have gone to bed already, it's quite late, _she thought while she walked to the tavern in the Craftsmen's Terrace. Normally she wouldn't go near a place like that, but tonight she was feeling quite rebellious, probably as a result of the siblings' recent overprotectiveness.

"Raven's Talon" was unusually busy this evening, she noted, as she heard music from outside. The sign creaked lightly with the cool evening breeze as she walked in.

The night elves didn't pay any attention to her and she looked around for an empty place to sit.

"Hey, Siana!" she heard someone call her and searched the crowd to see Ilcoron of all night elves, waving to her from a table for four at the back of the tavern. She made her way over.

"Interesting to see you here, dear. I didn't know you frequented this sort of place," he said as she took a seat at the only empty place next to him.

"You'd be surprised at how many things you don't know about me." she said not paying attention to the endearment he'd used with her.

Then she finally noticed the other two night elves at the table. They were both rogues from Daghdar's group who she recalled seeing the first day when she had been paired with Ilcoron. They didn't bother to introduce themselves, which didn't surprise Siana, nor did they ask her name. Even better. She wasn't exactly in the mood for new acquaintances tonight.

"How about a cherry grog? On me!" Ilcoron suggested enthusiastically.

"You must have a hell of an occasion?"

"Well, I do – I'm treating you." he smiled.

Siana smirked. "Why not? I'll take one, thanks."

Ilcoron went to get her grog and she was left alone with the other two rogues. She noticed they had almost finished their drinks and wasn't surprised when they stood up and made their exit.

"Sorry we couldn't stay and chat," one of them said.

"We should be taking our leave," the other finished.

Siana bid them good night and followed them with her eyes as they went out of the tavern.

"They left in quite a hurry; I wonder why," Ilcoron said as he returned with two cherry grogs and put one of them in front of the girl.

"They must have been swayed by my un-charm," she said in a dark humorous tone that matched her expression.

"I never would have guessed you had the power to repel people," he chuckled.

"Again: you'd be surprised at how many things you don't know about me."

Ilcoron's amber gaze studied her face.

"Really? Then I'm very willing to learn."

Siana snorted with a smirk and took a sip from the grog. She nearly choked on the strong alcohol but she hid it well.

"So what's this about your oh-so-important mission that you need to train under me?"

"Nothing much, just a measure to make sure we lose as few people as possible." she said, following the feeling that she should tell him as little as possible.

"Is that so?" he asked, a smirk gracing his face, but his eyes retained their focused glare.

"Not that I enjoy training _under _you," she said imperturbably and took a big sip of her drink.

"You don't say! Because I have a different impression." he smirked even more.

Instead of getting angry at his comment, she played along.

"I don't mind that much, but I'm used to being in control."

"I can teach you to like being controlled," he said, his voice dropping an octave.

"Well I'm an eager learner," Siana's reply came.

Ilcoron then leaned back and smiled widely.

"Oh, how I'm going to enjoy teaching you!"

A faint blush crept across the girl's cheeks as she took another swig of the grog. She could feel herself bolder and silently attributed that to the drink, deciding to stop before she got drunk.

_The way things are going with him, I can't trust him to behave if gets me drunk._

Then she leaned forward to daringly whisper in his ear.

"Let's get out of here, this place is getting cramped for me."

"Anything you say."

They both stood up and made their way between the tables. The reached the big wooden door and went out, Ilcoron closing it behind Siana.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"I don't know, I just wanted to get away from all of them. You're more than enough."

"Is that so," he smirked. "Come on," he said, dragging her by the wrist, "I have an idea."

Siana let herself be dragged along, but her eyebrows knitted in suspicion. She still didn't trust the rogue.

"There we are," Ilcoron said cheerfully as they arrived in a small clearing among the trees. The girl looked at him questioningly, but was relieved somewhat as he hadn't done anything mischievous as she'd expected.

"How about a spar?" he suggested.

"A spar? Sorry, but I'm not in the mood to try and immobilize you soundlessly right now," she sneered.

"No, not like that. I meant a normal spar, no sneaking. I want to see your techniques. But no weapons, all you should be armed with is skill."

"Oh. Then I reconsider. I'm feeling energetic all of a sudden. I want to see what you've got." she said mischievously.

"Prepare yourself, Siana." he said as he took his dagger out from the sheath strapped to his thigh and threw it on the ground behind him.

The girl wordlessly unstrapped the two small knives from her thighs as well and threw them to the side.

_I should remember to thank him for this idea later. I was getting tired of learning to fight dirty, now I finally have a chance to face him straight on._

Then they both crouched.

"Now!"

The lunged at each other, Siana with her fist aimed at his abdomen. He dodged with ease and tried to hit her from the left. However, she caught on in time and flipped back.

By the time she landed though, Ilcoron was leaning down and swiped a leg under her feet, throwing her off balance. She fell to the ground and he immediately pressed her down.

"Is that all?" he mocked from above her.

"You think you've won already?" she smirked and he felt her knee connect with his stomach. With a grunt she used both her legs in a big effort to move all his weight off her and fling him over her head.

Panting heavily as she'd effectively taken out his breath, Ilcoron quickly stood and prepared to launch himself at her with force, intended on beating her. But she wasn't in front of him anymore.

"Ungh!"

Suddenly he felt an arm clench tightly above his shoulders, tightly locking around his neck.

"Am I leaving you breathless?" Siana asked from behind him, tightening her grip. The rogue didn't answer anything, but quickly swung his torso to the side, trying to detach her from him. She held on though, and he couldn't shake her. Her heart thumped loudly from the excitement. Then he used both his arms to break the iron lock around his throat, finally separating her arms.

"You're not so bad a warrior as you are a rogue," he said.

"That's a compliment coming from you," she replied, already running with clenched fists at him. He prepared to step back a little, just enough to make her miss and lose concentration, but then she suddenly pressed her arms to the ground and flipped forward with the grace of a night elf. He ducked just in time to avoid both her feet which would have hit him right in the head.

Siana managed to keep her balance and landed in a crouch, but then felt him behind her.

"You're too slow," he said mockingly as he caught her upper body in an iron lock with his forearms.

"Oh yeah?" she said defiantly, struggling to break his technique. He pressed her down with his full weight and she got down on her knees.

"But I like it when you struggle, when you fight dirty..." he whispered in her ear, voice suddenly gone raspy.

Something about it made Siana feel overpowered. However, she didn't give up struggling to get free. She grunted and panted with the effort, but he only pressed her down a bit more. Her movements got slower, she got tired.

"I win," Ilcoron rasped and his hot breath tickled her ear, making her gasp. She shuddered in his arms as he loosened his grip slightly, but still holding her tight.

"I-Ilcoron..." she stuttered as he brought a hand to tuck a lock of her auburn hair behind her ear.

"Yes?" he whispered.

"I..."

His hand moved to caress her neck and a pleasant tingle ran through Siana. She couldn't think, could hardly breathe, she felt so dominated by the rogue. She was at a loss at how the situation had changed so quickly.

Ilcoron's hand moved ever so slowly to the base of her neck and she involuntarily tilted her head back and it rested on his shoulder. Her lips parted slightly. She was reacting on instinct, and didn't know why she was doing it.

His hand slowly crept by her side, caressing down until it reached her hip. The lightest touch sent tremors up the girl's spine. She was breathing heavily, the mischievous rogue noticed, and he rubbed soothing circles at her stomach.

A loud pant escaped her lips.

_Enjoying herself, huh._

His hand then crept upwards, ghosting over her ribcage and reached the underside of her breasts, tightly bound by her thin leather shirt. The tingles running through her body suddenly intensified and she suddenly panicked.

Ilcoron's fingers crept a bit upward, touching her left breast.

Siana's eyes widened.

_Too much!_

She nearly squeaked and quickly slid under and away from his arms, standing up from the grass.

"..."

His half-lidded shimmering eyes outlined her form as she was biting her lip, as if contemplating what to say. Then she turned around and ran.

The black-haired night elf didn't move from his spot on the ground.

"You'll be back..." he said, smirking.

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Siana ran towards Tenin and Sanaha's house, her eyes wide and her heart thumping wildly.

_What the hell just happened?! I... he..._

Her head was a mess, impossible to sort out. Ilcoron had merely challenged her to a fight. Then he had started touching her, caressing her in a suggestive way, and she had liked it. But she was afraid of it. Ilcoron was dangerous, there was a mysterious air around him, and it was exactly that that attracted Siana.

She slowed her pace and touched her neck where Ilcoron had touched. Then shook her head and hurried home.

She rushed through the door, catching her breath as she closed it quietly, hoping Tenin and Sanaha were already asleep and wouldn't see her.

She dashed for her room but bumped into a warm body.

"Where the hell were you?!" Tenin scolded, catching her arms.

Siana didn't say anything and tried to get away.

"Tell me!"

"We... I stayed afterwards. Daghdar wanted to check on my progress," she lied under her breath.

Tenin sighed in relief and hugged her.

"You really had me worried, Shala."

Siana didn't return the hug and just watched absently, still shocked from what had happened.

"I-I'm g-going to bed," she managed to bring out.

The young warrior released her from his embrace and eyed her worriedly.

"What really happened, Siana?" he asked, cupping her cheek affectionately. Recalling Ilcoron's touch, she trembled hard and swatted his hand away.

"Nothing!" she said, backing away a step.

His expression softened and his glowing eyes betrayed pain.

"Why do you never tell me anything any more? You've been acting strangely ever since you started that stealth training!"

She didn't say anything and her gaze fell to her feet.

Tenin went a bit closer and touched her hair lightly. She turned to the side.

"Good night," she muttered and turned to go to her room.

The young night elf watched her disappear behind the door with sad eyes.

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**Uh-oh! Things are getting strained, aren't they? The next update may take a while, as I am coming down with the flu, but I promise it won't be too long!**

***Muslin is filled with love to the readers* 3**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warcraft and I do not profit from this story. My only gain is the warm, fuzzy feeling I get when I get a review ^_^**

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The next few days were getting more and more tense for the young human girl. She had been avoiding both Ilcoron and Tenin. The rogue expected it and it made him smug and complacent, for he knew she would look at him with new eyes, he'd earned a firm place in her thoughts. The young night elf warrior, however, was very much shocked and hurt by her behaviour. He was at a complete loss as to why she was acting like this and what the hell the cause for that could be.

Said warrior was now in the company of his older sister in the Temple of the Moon, a week after the strange confrontation with Siana.

"I just can't understand what's gotten into her!" he said for the tenth time in a row while walking back and forth restlessly.

Sanaha was calmly sitting across from her brother on the edge of the magnificent fountain.

"And I don't understand why you're worrying so much! She's not a kid anymore," she said in an attempt to calm him down. He stopped for a moment and sat next to her.

"That's one more thing I'm worrying about," he sighed.

"Look Tenin, Siana is very responsible. More so than you are."

"Thanks, this really helps!" he said irritably.

"What I mean is that she's mature enough to know what's right and what's wrong. She wouldn't just get herself involved in something dangerous. And even if she does, she'd surely ask our help."

"I know, I just... She's been acting strange ever since she started that training."

"What she is doing now is only meant to make her a better warrior and improve her skill, as well as guarantee her safety."

"I _know!_ I just don't trust the damned rogues!" he said with frustration.

Sanaha smirked.

"That's what this is all about, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you're getting at," he said, avoiding her implications, whatever they could have been.

"You only worry about her because she's not under your watch, because you can't be close to her. You don't like the fact that you don't know who she is with, what she may be doing with them..."

"Alright, fine!" he snapped, silencing her smug, knowledgeable tirade. "She could just be with some girl giggling right now, for all I care!"

He stood up with a huff.

"I have to go back to Find'alar, see you tonight."

The young priestess watched her brother go out of the Temple and a smirk tugged at the corners of her lips.

_He really feels for that girl...._

* * *

At the same time, on the other side of Darnassus, the girl that didn't give Tenin Nuada peace of mind was currently groaning with effort.

"I'm not giving up! I'm going to beat you!"

"Talk on! I've nearly won!"

With a grunt she used all her strength and weight to push Ilcoron to the ground.

"Don't count your chickens before they... hatch!" with that she took him down completely and, reaching for the small dagger beside them, put it to his throat. He stopped struggling immediately.

"Well done..."

Siana heard someone at the door and without thinking flung the dagger in the direction of the voice. Then she gasped.

Standing in the doorway was Daghdar, her dagger caught between his fingers. The elder rogue raised his bushy eyebrows.

"I see you've reached quite a milestone in your training," he said quietly. "Admirable."

He applauded mockingly.

"Though I must say that your stealth is still lacking."

Without another word he turned and left them alone.

Ilcoron, who had remained silent from his spot on the ground, managed a cocky smirk. He got up from where he was lying and helped Siana up too.

"Well, you heard the boss! Congratulations. And by the way, the dagger was a hell of a dirty trick."

"Yes, it was. I apologize."

"Don't. That's the point – to teach you to use everything that may come to use. Because, admit it, in a fair fight, you would never beat me."

"So that's why you always insist that I don't use weapons?" she asked irritably.

"Partly" he grinned. "But anyway, you learned quite a few cheap tricks. I must be rubbing off on you."

Siana didn't say a word. The idea of her becoming more like him didn't exactly appeal to her, but she didn't want to discuss it with him. She had been avoiding having anything to do with Ilcoron for the past week and he had caught on it.

"Tell me something – why are you keeping away from me?", he asked.

She didn't answer and he felt himself get impatient. He walked up to her and turned her around to face him.

"Well?"

Her brow furrowed and she tried to get away.

"Come on!" he demanded.

"Stop it! I don't want anything to do with you!" she shouted.

Oddly, a wide smirk graced the black-haired night elf's face.

"How so? Are you afraid I might do this?"

With that he slid his hand up her body suggestively. Her eyes widened and the look inside them changed to something darker, matching his amber-eyed expression. She almost shuddered.

With his hands sliding around her waist, Ilcoron slowly pushed her backwards until her back touched the cold stone wall. She didn't appear afraid anymore. She looked rather calm.

The tall rogue brought his hand to lightly close around her chin, drawing her face to his. His shimmering eyes bore into hers, then his head dipped below her chin. The girl felt his lips on her neck, biting and suckling.

"Stop that." she hissed.

"Why should I?"

"I'll kill you..." she whispered while her hand, driven by some insane impulse, slid across his muscled chest.

"You will be dead before you even scream..." he whispered harshly in her ear. The feeling of being overpowered came back to Siana with full force. Ilcoron was dangerous, but that only intensified her odd attraction to him.

She felt him give the tiniest bite to her earlobe and a strong tremor ran down her body. Siana was unable to think. It was too much like last time! Only now, her body suddenly seemed to like it, craving more of him, a touch, a word, anything.

Giving into that impulse, the girl snaked her hand into the black locks at the back of his head and tugged on them, turning his head to the side and exposing his neck to her.

Ilcoron breathed in sharply as he felt her tongue slide all the way up his neck, from his collarbone up to his ear. He had never expected such a pleasant outcome of things. He felt a surge of desire.

With a low growl, he grabbed her chin and forced her lips to meet his. However, as they were just a hair's breadth away, the girl suddenly stiffed.

Siana had found herself again. As much as she wanted to give in to him, she felt it was wrong. She didn't want to kiss him, even though her instinct begged her to do so.

Seeing her struggle, Ilcoron lost patience and grabbed her roughly.

"Let go of me!" she shouted. When he didn't release her, something within the girl snapped.

Siana didn't know what she was doing, she felt blank, but completely certain that was the right thing to do. He had no right to force her to do this. She could feel his hands tugging onto the waistband of her pants roughly as she blindly reached for the dirk strapped to his thigh. Within a second she drew it out and sliced right at Ilcoron's right wrist. She felt warm droplets of blood connect with the skin of her hands.

The girl backed away and heard the rogue curse loudly. She didn't register it though, as all that was in her head was the choice: to run away or finish him.

She chose the first option and with the dirk still clutched tightly in her hand, dashed out the dim room and down the curving staircase.

All she heard was her pulse thumping in her ears as she ran up the tunnel and went out of the hollow into the light of the setting sun.

_Blood... The dirk..._

Her thoughts were incoherent and she walked as if in a trance. She had this strange certainty that Ilcoron wouldn't come after her.

Siana didn't notice the night elves staring at her bloodied sleeves as she passed them by, her feet carrying her automatically in the direction of Tenin and Sanaha's house. Snapping out of it, the girl instantly realized she couldn't possibly go home looking like this, with blood on her shirt and a dirk that wasn't hers. She finally stopped on the bridge to the Temple and leaned on the stone railing, gazing into the lake below.

After calming down, she brought up the dirk to examine it. It was small and so skillfully crafted it almost looked like a piece of jewellery. The small handle was engraved with a small silver bird. The blade was wide, but sharp, and still covered with the blood of its owner. Siana continued to admire it.

At the same time, Tenin was walking along that same bridge when he spotted a familiar figure ahead. He quickened his pace and when he got closer, he saw it was indeed her.

"Siana!"

Th girl heard the familiar voice calling her and turned it its direction. When she turned her face to him, Tenin thought she was someone else. Her eyes were cold. As he got closer, he noticed with horror her bloodied shirt and the dirk in her hand.

"What the hell happened? Are you hurt?," he asked immediately when he reached her.

"I'm fine." she said with a voice that was hardly hers. Her hazel eyes met his shimmering ones and she said:

"The blood isn't mine."

Tenin was both relieved and shocked.

_Has... has she killed someone?_

"Siana, it's best I took you home, then you can tell me what happened." he said as he gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder and guided her to the house.

Once in, the young warrior seated the girl on his bed and sat next to her.

"Please, just tell me what's going on."

She just stared at her hands. Sure, she'd killed before. Beasts, kobolds, enemies. But this was completely different. She never killed without a purpose and a few minutes ago she could have killed a friend, a night elf. Someone of the Alliance. Until now, she hadn't registered her desire to rip him apart, just for touching her in a way she didn't like. The consequences of it still weren't reaching her mind completely.

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

"Strange, why didn't I kill him? I almost did..."

"Killed who? What happened?"

"The rogue...," she said, "the rogue I'm training with."

Tenin still didn't understand anything.

"Why would you want to kill him? Did he do something to you?"

"Yes, and I liked it. I wanted it. I wanted him to do more." she said blankly as she finally looked at the young night elf's worried face.

"But I also didn't want him to do it." she finished and her gaze dropped to the dirk on her lap.

Tenin could hardly keep his jaw from dropping to the floor. His eyes accidentally slipped to her neck. There, where Ilcoron had touched her, Tenin noticed a red mark. He reached to touch it.

"Did he... do that?" he asked shakily.

"Yes."

Suddenly, Tenin felt incredibly angry.

_Someone has touched her! Touching her in that way, even leaving a mark!_

He was bordering on jealousy, but dismissed it as extreme anger which he hardly contained.

_You have no right to feel jealousy!,_ a voice within him scolded.

_He's kissed her!! Damned left a mark, as if she's something of his and he's showing the world that he owns her!, _another raged on.

_Even so, it's none of your business who she lets touch her!_

_It damn well is, because she's...!_

_She's... what? Yours? Don't be pathetic!_

As the night elf fought with himself, Siana had raised blank eyes to him. He startled, and the thought that she would discover his turmoil passed through his messed up mind. However, he discarded himself for a moment, remembering that the girl was currently much more upset and confused than he was.

As he reached out to touch her, she abruptly stood up, her head bowed and her auburn hair obscuring her eyes. She silently raised the dirk she was still holding tightly and wiped it off in her shirt. Then she stolidly strapped it in the sheath on her thigh.

"Whose is that?" he said, eying the knife which strangely didn't blend with her appearance, contrasting to her dark clothes. It was very noticeable that it wasn't hers.

Siana cast it a glance.

Ilcoron's dirk. The weapon of the elf she had wanted to kill. The weapon of the one who had forced himself on her. The weapon of the elf who would have been dead had she stayed a moment longer in the rogue den. It would be hers now, she figured. She deserved it, since she had beaten its master. Now it would serve a new, stronger master.

"I won it and I want it to be mine," she said to Tenin, the emotion slowly creeping back into her.

The young night elf warrior felt his heart clench painfully at the sight of her. He wanted to console her, bring the smile back to her lips. So he stood up, his strong form hovering over her hunched over, frail one. His hands crept around her shoulders ever so lightly, enveloping her in an embrace. Tenin closed his eyes, willing his strength to pass on to her, to give her peace and wipe away her worries.

But his touch made her tremble as her body recalled the rogue's fingers, sliding and grabbing at her form, taking selfishly and promising nothing. But Siana willed herself to still, reminded herself that this was not Ilcoron who was touching her, but the one who had saved her life more than once, whose touch she never had to fear.

"Tenin... I..."

"What is it, little Shala?" he murmured.

"What if I hadn't had the strength to stop him? Or to stop... myself?"

"Don't say that. I believe in your strength, but you don't have to face everything alone." he released her and she turned to look in his silvery eyes questioningly.

"You know I'll always be there for you," he said with a warm smile. "I promise that I'll always be; I'll always protect you, no matter what."

Siana really wanted to believe his words then. There was something heart-warming about knowing that there always was someone who could shield her from the world and have faith in her.

The young warrior ruffled her light brown locks.

"Now rest. Try to leave this whole thing behind you." He leaned towards her and kissed her forehead. He turned to leave, but Siana caught his hand. The night elf looked at her, but she said nothing, only giving him a reassured gaze.

That night, the girl slept soundly.

* * *

Siana awoke early, filled with determination.

She dressed and took her trusty daggers like she had done every day recently, as if she was going training again.

The girl left quietly earlier than usual before the sun had risen.

She was certain that this was a noble thing to do. She had briefly considered going to the rogue training place and discreetly telling Daghdar that she would quit, but she instantly brushed it off as a cowardly thing to do.

_Just like a rogue would have done..._

She took her time walking around the city. She saw Renus passing by and greeted him. He regarded her and carried on with his patrol.

Siana finally arrived at the rogues' den a few minutes before sunrise. Strangely, no one was there yet except for Daghdar who always seemed to be there.

"Daghdar, I wish to speak with you." she called for his attention formally in Darnassian.

"What is it?"

She stood before him, a stoic, serious girl looking gentle but resolute.

"I want to tell you that I will no longer attend the stealth training required for my mission."

"What might the reason for that be? You do know that this is something necessary, right?" he said with slight suspicion.

"I do. But I have already reached a more than acceptable level. I beat one of your best students, you witnessed yourself. I have nothing more to learn from him."

"So this is your decision then?"

"It is," she replied firmly.

"Then it is accepted. Do as you wish."

"Thank you, master Daghdar," Siana said respectfully and gave a small bow, after which she turned to leave.

Behind her, the rogue raised his eyebrows.

_She's really something, the mole, _he thought, _she'd make a good warrior._

"Siana!" he called her and she stopped in her track, turning to look at him expectantly.

"Best of luck on your mission." Daghdar said in Common with a small smile.

The girl returned it and left the rogues' den.

Her heart felt light as she walked under the first rays of the sun. A smile still graced her lips.

She had got it over with, she thought. The honorable way. Like this, she wouldn't hold ill feelings against the rogues and she would be free to move on.

_The dawn is beautiful..._

_* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *_

**A/N: Well, there you go. The sneakiness is turning into stomps ^_^**

**More to come, but only if I get reviews :D:D**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter X**

**A/N: Whazzaaaa! **

**Now first, I want to say that I hadn't planned on writing such a humongous chapter, but then it just kind of wrote itself. About halfway, however, I was struck with a positively evil case of writer's block. But happily, it's past and the next chapter is on its way. Now enjoy and don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warcraft and I do not profit from this story.**

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

_Now that that's over with, what should I do now?, _Siana wondered merrily, all but skipping along the street. She was dressed for training after all, but she had no desire for rogue training whatsoever.

_I know! I'll go pester master Find'alar! _

The girl chuckled to herself as she quickly swerved in the direction of the Warriors' Terrace. She hadn't even noticed how she'd missed her slave driver of a trainer and the company of her fellow young warriors. When she finally arrived at the Terrace, she felt her heart warm at the sight of the kal'dorei engaged in the familiar training routine. Even though, noticeably, nine of them were missing, she was still glad to be able to get back here.

"Hey Oghma!", she yelled to one of her friends.

"Oh, hi Siana! What are you doing here?" the night elf stopped to regard her.

"I'm looking for master Find'alar, you seen him?"

"Of course, he and Tenin are out back, I wouldn't get near them if I were you," he chuckled.

All but dashing around the spar site, Siana circled the Terrace and saw in the distance her master and Tenin. She was about to call out to them, when something made her freeze in her tracks. A blur of limbs and weapons, the two male night elves were lunging at each other with hammers and swords more ferociously than Siana had ever seen them before. Find'alar had definitely never been so rough with her as he was being now with Tenin and it downright scared her.

"Shan'do!" she called, more weakly than she would have liked.

The two stopped and turned to see her walking over to them, surprise written on both their faces.

"Siana? Aren't you supposed to be doing something with Daghdar and his group?" her master inquired. He was one of the many not informed about the details of her mission, as much as it made her uncomfortable to keep him in the dark.

"I'm done with them. Never mind what I'm doing, what in Azeroth are _you _two doing?!"

"Take five, Tenin," Find'alar said before turning to answer his other student. "Well, it's a bit of a long story. When word came of that mission that would require ten warriors who would undergo intense special training in order to be prepared, it occurred to me that what we've been doing up to now is insufficient. I don't like the fact that the level I've given you was deemed inadequate, so I've decided to, shall we say, toughen you guys up a bit. I started with Tenin, who, for some reason, is really working hard." He leaned to whisper to the girl, "I don't know why, but he hasn't been his lazy self recently. Ever since you went to train with Daghdar's group, in fact."

Siana understood his worries well, though she was clueless when it came to Tenin. Despite that, she tried to diminish her master's suspicions.

"Well, I'm all done with that 'special training', wasn't anything much, really. Now, I'm ready and waiting for you to bestow some real training on me." she said cheerfully.

Find'alar smirked.

"Careful what you say, because Tenin can confirm I will work your asses off!"

"Oh please, nothing you two do will surprise me anymore," the girl said in pretend boasting.

"Is that so?" Tenin asked. Siana shivered inwardly, as personal experience had proven that nothing good came after she was asked that question. However, nothing could gloom her cheerful mood.

"Bring it on, I can beat both of you even with no armor and just those two little knives."

"Well, we'll test that," Find'alar said cheekily. "I'm putting just Tenin against you. And here are the slightly modified rules: I won't let you stop until one of you is either too hurt to fight or unconscious. And since you insist on using only your two daggers, I'm letting Tenin use his hammer. And don't be afraid to go all out, I'll make sure you don't kill each other."

Siana's brows quirked after hearing that. Despite what she had claimed, this was a big surprise for her. Her master had never demanded anything of this kind. Nevertheless, she could feel her blood pumping with the usual passion for a fight. Without a word, she walked over to Tenin, stopping about five meters away. She smirked, already feeling her victory – Ilcoron may have been a bastard, but he sure as hell had taught her a lot of useful tricks.

"Ready," the young wariors' Shan'do said. They both nodded, a smirk now on Tenin's face as well.

"Go!"

Before Tenin could even make a move, Siana went and did something neither he nor their master expected from her. She just crouched, making her opponent believe that she was going to attack any second, but then she just threw a handful of dirt in Tenin's eyes, effectively blinding him, after which she jumped behind him.

Find'alar scowled at what he saw.

"That was low, Siana! You're lucky I allow this for this situation." he scolded as his student was rubbing his eyes and cursing angrily.

While he did that, Siana, from her place behind him, felt a bit guilty about the cheap trick and decided to make up for it to Tenin by delaying her attack for a few seconds. When he finally turned around, she gave him a moment to notice her, then promptly pressed her palms to the ground and flipped forward on her arms, her feet hitting him in the chest heavily. This was a basic move Find'alar had taught them, but it had become one of Siana's favorites as she loved the powerful hit she could deliver with it.

One of those hits had just sent Tenin flying before he fell heavily on his side. Without any sound at all and with speed so great she appeared a blur, Siana darted towards him, taking out her knives in both hands before the night elf had a chance to get up. She lunged at him so fast that all he could do to defend himself was to raise his heavy hammer in front of his body. It did the job to keep her daggers from his neck, but she was currently straddling him and was about to change that.

Not bothering with any other techniques, Tenin gathered all his strength and pushed her away forcefully with the hand which held the hammer. Siana stumbled backwards, but even this couldn't stop her for long. The night elf had barely risen when the girl appeared behind him and applied the iron lock she had learned from their master. Tenin knew the technique and knew how to break it, but hesitated to do it because the knives in both her hands were aimed at his shoulders.

Then his stubbornness kicked in.

_Where did she learn to do that? I usually have her flat on her back by now! I am not going to lose to her!_

Gritting his teeth and knowing there was no other way, he growled and lifted his arms to separate hers, her knives digging into his shoulders.

This didn't hinder the girl for in the next second she was down on her knees and swiping a leg under his, resulting in him falling to his knees as well. Her hands went for his throat but he managed to swat them away and then both warriors stood up.

Siana was already attacking with a high kick which he barely managed to avoid.

Find'alar watched all this in awe. This was not a fight between warriors, this was a fight between a rogue and a warrior. Even though Siana had only been gone for a little more than a week, her style had changed almost completely. Her attacks were unceremonious and vicious, she almost didn't make a sound as she moved. The girl had become much faster and more graceful and the way she carried herself – sneakier, reminding him of a cat. This was hardly his student, he said to himself, surprised at what a small amount of time it took to change her so much. The sense of justice he had always tried to enforce in his students was almost nonexistent in Siana in this fight so far.

The girl confirmed his suspicion again when she tried to disarm her opponent, almost succeeding. Tenin could hardly keep up with her, she was too fast. All he managed to do was make sure she didn't hurt him. He couldn't land a single hit on her, even if she gave him the time.

His surprise and sudden insecurity were only making things for him worse as Siana finally disarmed him. He felt she would win any moment; he had to do something to delay that. So he picked up the hammer from where Siana had thrown it and with an angry shout flung it at her.

Naturally, he missed and Siana used the confusion to throw one of her own weapons against him, after which she went out of sight.

The scream she heard told her than she had hit her target. Tenin was currently fighting with three deep gashes, each bleeding heavily, but he refused to give up. However, his efforts had to wait until his opponent reappeared. The young night elf searched the area for her, but couldn't spot anything.

Using the small break to catch her breath and prepare her final attack, Siana smirked. She was about to beat Tenin for the first time and the thought made her excitement grow, but it also stirred something within her, something that made her uncomfortable, but she ignored it.

She unstrapped the empty sheathe of the dagger she'd thrown at him and peeked from behind the tree the shadow of which she'd concealed herself in. The night elf had his back to her.

_This is the perfect time to strike!,_ she thought as she furrowed her brows in concentration.

Tenin hardly knew what hit him. He heard a noise to his right and quickly lunged, confident that he would finally hit his opponent, but he only saw an empty sheathe. The next thing he felt was a sharp pain in his left thigh. He bit his lip hard so he wouldn't scream and before she could take her knife out of his flesh, he locked his hand around her wrist and jerked it up, her hand still tightly gripping the knife. The wound bled over their hands.

At the feel of the hot liquid, something snapped within her and she froze, her hand still trapped in his.

"Sorry!" she whispered in shock, suddenly taking in his bleeding form. Tenin's brow furrowed. What in the world were they doing? Suddenly they both felt crazy and confused, but the young night elf quickly remembered why they were doing this. It was all necessary, so they would survive if this occurred on the battlefield. For Tenin, it had an even deeper meaning. He wanted Siana to be prepared enough so she could return from her Elune-forsaken mission alive and well. If it took half his blood to ensure that, he would gladly oblige.

So he took a deep breath and prepared to do what he'd never even imagined he'd have to do. He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on her wrist. He could see her features contorting in pain. He'd only squeezed her harder, but she hadn't made a move to defend herself or get away.

_Come on, Shala!_

He squeezed his eyes shut and roughly bent her wrist upwards, in a way it couldn't naturally bend, with all his strength.

Siana gave out a pained scream and Tenin felt her bones cracking in his hand. She was too shocked to register anything more than the unbearable pain he was causing her. She kicked him away on instinct and recalled the rules their master had relayed. Suddenly she knew what to do. She wanted to stop this.

The young night elf warrior had stumbled backwards with the force of her kick and before he had a chance to get his bearings she was behind him.

_Time for one more cheap trick..._

With a strong, rough, curt movement she drove her elbow to the back of his neck. The dull thud sickened her as Tenin fell to the ground unconscious.

It didn't feel right in the least, Siana thought while looking at the night elf at her feet. She had never beaten him before, she had never had to, until now. Struggling for breath because of the excruciating pain in her wrist, she looked around for their master, hoping he'd finally dismiss them.

"I'm really sorry for telling you two to do this, but if you don't learn to hold your ground against each other, one day you'll stand just like this before a foe and lose your life in vane. And it would be my fault because I hadn't taught you to win." Find'alar came to his two students with an apologetic expression.

Siana gave a tiny nod, expressing her understanding.

"I understand, Shan'do, that this is necessary, but it's too sudden for me... I don't know if I can cope with this."

"To be honest, I was surprised that you took it so easily," her master said as he lifted Tenin off the ground and put him down to lean his back against a tree. "When I first told Tenin what I expected of you two a few days ago, he wouldn't even hear. But I eventually persuaded him of the good this kind of training would do. You two need to learn to obey orders. Imagine if Priestess Whisperwind ordered you to kill one of your friends because he has betrayed the kal'dorei. If she orders you to kill him or her because she could kill you first? What would you do?"

"I wouldn't do it," Siana replied, looking at Tenin's calm face. His eyes were closed, as if he were sleeping.

"Yes, just because the person is your friend. That's exactly what you need to correct." Find'alar said simply.

Suddenly, it all made sense. Siana knew he was right, she just wished there was another way to achieve the same thing. Up till now, she felt she had understood the seriousness of her mission, but she discovered she had been deceiving herself. The enemy she could face was going to be far more sinister than anything she had encountered so far and when the moment came, she would stand helpless and horrified, the enemy easily ending her life. And in order to prevent that, she had to learn to jump into every fight with the intention to kill, No matter who she faced.

"And another thing, Siana," the elder night elf said in a serious tone and the girl looked at him expectantly.

"I don't approve of the style you displayed today. If I hadn't been watching intently, I could say you fought awfully unfair. This is very uncharacteristic of you."

"I hadn't realized that my style had changed this much, Shan'do. Next time I will try not to stick to the roguish techniques." she said quietly.

"How long will Tenin be out?" Find'alar asked.

"At least two hours," she replied somewhat ashamedly.

"Alright then. Get up and help me. We're carrying him over to his house and then I'll trust you to bandage him to stop the bleeding until Priestess Sanaha comes back to patch him up."

Siana nodded and the two lifted the younger night elf off the ground, most of his weight falling on Find'alar and the girl only supporting his shoulders with his head resting on the side of her neck.

"_I'll always be there for you"_ - she remembered the words he'd spoken to her and smiled in her mind.

_Even though we're dragging you home unconscious, I somehow believe it._

They reached the house and carefully carried him inside, then Find'alar helped Siana to set him down on his bed. He asked if she needed anything and she politely shook her head, after which she sent him away.

As soon as he left, she turned her attention to Tenin who was lying peacefully, looking as he had merely fallen asleep. The more she looked at his closed eyes, the guilty she felt. She could wake him up right now if she wanted, all it would take would be to press a pressure point as Ilcoron had taught her, but she wanted to let him rest for a while.

The pain of her broken wrist came back with a vengeance as she reached out to touch him. She wanted to scream, but she didn't want to disturb the one who had inflicted it on her.

She used what little knowledge of healing spells she had acquired to dull the pain a bit and then went to find something to bandage the four deep gashes she'd given Tenin.

_This really is insane,_ she thought as she came back and got to work. _How am I going to do this every fucking day?!_

The unsettling feeling of guilt only became stronger as she bandaged each of his wounds. She had cut him so deep, it would be a miracle if there weren't scars afterwards.

She finished up and pulled a chair next to his bed with her good hand. She sat and watched him sleep, just like he had watched her so many times. Her eyelids felt heavy but sleep eluded her, the pain in her wrist too strong to give her peace. Siana just sat and hoped that Sanaha came back soon.

And she did, after two hours.

"What the...? What happened here?!"

"Long story..." Siana brought out between gritted teeth. Her wrist was now even more painful and had started to swell.

The young priestess quickly came over to her brother. "You two haven't had a mission today, so who beat him up like that?" she asked, examining his body.

"I did..." Siana muttered. The elf just stared at her, then her shimmering gaze dropped to her hand which was jutting out in an unnatural angle.

"And who did that to you?"

"He did."

Sanaha just stared again. Then the inevitable happened.

"Praise Elune, Siana! Did you want to kill each other?! Why the hell would you tear each other apart?!"

"Well, it's not like we wanted to. Like I said, long story. Now please hurry up and help him!"

Tenin's sheets were bloodied, but Siana had not been in a condition to change them. Sanaha swung one end in order to sit and then motioned to Siana to come.

"I need to take a look at that hand of yours."

"I'm fine. Just patch Tenin up before he bleeds all over the place."

"Tenin is doing better than you are. I can heal him when he wakes up. Your wrist, on the other hand, is much more important, so come here and let me heal it!"

Siana did no such thing, but instead reached out with her good hand and pressed a spot on the back of Tenin's head. Suddenly he groaned and started coming to.

In the next moment, Siana was jerked by Sanaha to sit next to her.

"It's all swollen, girl! Why did you let it get like this? You should have called me!"

The girl's eyes flicked over to Tenin who was slowly waking up. She hadn't wanted to leave his side, but that was not a good enough reason for his sister.

"Now this is going to hurt, but I have to do it as soon as possible, or you won't be able to use that hand again."

Siana had never broken a bone until now, but she couldn't imagine anything more painful than her hand as it was. However, in the next moment Sanaha proved her wrong.

Tenin awoke to the sound of Siana screaming in pain. She and his sister were seated on his bed next to him. In a second everything rushed into place. Siana had knocked him out, then she and his master had probably brought him to his house and now, Sanaha was healing the wrist he had broken.

He hated hearing her cry out. When Sanaha stopped for a moment to look in her back for some herb, he sat up and embraced her shaking form. She was almost crying now, the tears staining her cheeks, but she didn't let a sound any different than a whine indicating that she was in pain. However, she seemed to still when Tenin cradled her like a child.

His sister came back and gave him a nod.

"Hold her."

Then she grabbed her wrist and began casting the healing spell. Her brother held the girl tighter and the priestess pressed her fingers to the broken bones, mending them from inside.

Siana groaned and began squirming away unconsciously. She knew this had to be done but she instinctively wanted away from the pain. She buried her head in Tenin's chest as he whispered meaningless, yet soothing words in her ear and stroked his fingers through her hair. She stopped her noises and just let Sanaha heal her.

When she finished, a blissful warmth spread from her hand throughout the girl's entire body. The pain was finally gone and her bones were whole again.

"Alright, now let's stitch up your gaps," the priestess said as she pulled her brother's shirt over his head and removed the bandages Siana had applied. As she healed one of the gashes on his shoulders, Siana insisted on helping and cast a simple blood-stopping spell on the other gash. Soon nothing was left of Tenin's wounds and Sanaha stood up.

"You two are really lucky I came back here because I had forgotten something! Now I have to go back at the Temple, but when I get back this evening, we are going to have a serious talk!"

As soon as she left, Tenin and Siana looked at each other apologetically. Neither had wanted to cause the other any harm, but they both understood that that was a necessary evil. They just nodded at each other.

Tenin stretched out.

"You know, Siana, if you ever knock me out like that again, I'll make sure you have no hands for Sanaha to heal!"

A smile appeared on her face at his playful threat. How was it that he managed to turn even the most uncomfortable situation to a joke?

"Say what you want, but I know you're just mad because I finally beat you!"

"Which reminds me – congratulations."

"No, it was unfair, so it doesn't count." Siana said, somewhat ashamed.

Tenin didn't want to depress her, so he said patronizingly: "Yes, it counts. It's my problem that I couldn't defend myself against that trick. After all, we have to be prepared for anything, including roguish techniques."

"I would prefer to remain on the side of warriors for now," Siana chuckled.

"So says the Shadow From Behind," Tenin sarcastically replied. "Now go away, my majesty wishes to ponder his defeat," he waved his hand dramatically.

"I don't think so." she said quickly and snuggled up next to him on his bed. "I don't want to miss the chance to pester you."

"Very well, our majesty accepts this rude intrusion." he continued his royalty mode and slung an arm around her form protectively. Underneath the cocky exterior, he was surprised that Siana wanted to stay, but he reveled in her closeness nonetheless.

They kept quite for a few minutes, each just listening to the breathing of the other.

Siana looked up to find him looking at her with a strange expression.

"What?"

"I was just wondering if you knew how beautiful you'd become." he said, his silvery eyes admiring her big, hazel ones.

Siana blushed. Why was he telling her that? He couldn't.....could he?

She buried her face in the crook of his neck to hide the reddening his words had brought to her cheeks.

While she was snuggling even closer to him, Tenin was absently recalling his last birthday. How old had he become? 203, he reminisced. And how old was his little Shala? She was pushing seventeen, and his endearing term "little" was becoming more and more unfitting... Why was he comparing their ages again?

"Tenin?" she called, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"I just realized that my mission is in a week."

"Time really flies, doesn't it?"

"You read my mind...." she trailed off in a sudden uncertainty. Then she looked up to him worriedly. "Tenin? What if I..."

"No! I don't want to hear it! Don't think of anything that might go wrong. Listen to me. You have to have faith in yourself and your abilities, otherwise anything that you imagine can go wrong _will._"

She gave a small nod. "Thanks, Tenin."

His name rolled off her lips so effortlessly. He loved to hear her say it. It always sounded so gentle, so endearing when it came from her. He pulled her closer and fought an impulse to kiss her. She snuggled even closer to him and sighed contentedly.

Siana was his devious angel. He sadly wondered if she would ever find that out. He always told her to be confident in herself, but on the other hand he couldn't imagine mustering up the courage to tell her of his feelings. He knew with certainty that hers were nothing more than those one feels towards one's best friend. Recently, Tenin had caught his sister giving him strange, knowing looks whenever he mentioned the girl's name. He didn't like it, he thought she was starting to catch on to the change in his feelings towards Siana.

His sister knew him better than anyone and Tenin knew he couldn't hide anything from her for long. But the longer, the better. He had loved Siana for years, only now the nature of that love was beginning to change. And no matter how much he tried, the young warrior couldn't look at the girl with the same eyes again.

Nevertheless, he tried it now. He looked down to her and convinced himself that he would see just a friend. But no, he saw the beautiful creature Siana had turned into, the one he adored, and again he was hit with the urge to kiss her. She had fallen asleep in his arms, her even breathing the only sound in the room. She looked so peaceful, so _human,_ he was filled with love for her just by looking at her.

Then he finally gathered up some courage and kissed her cheek lightly. The girl giggled in her sleep and murmured something Tenin couldn't understand. He smiled and leaned his head against her shoulder. The warmth she emitted and the sound of her rhythmic breathing finally put him to sleep.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When Sanaha Nuada came back later that evening, she was welcomed with the sweetest scene she had witnessed in her life. On her brother's bed Tenin and Siana were sleeping in each other's arms.

Sanaha put her hands on her hips and watched them with a loving smile for a while. How could her brother be so stupid? What was more, how could Siana be so dense?

She shook her head to herself and answered her own question. Siana wasn't dense, she just had never been in a situation like that.

_She may be an experienced warrior but when it comes to life beyond that, she is as naïve as a child. Which can only be harmful to her, especially since that cursed mission of hers is drawing closer!_

The young priestess sighed and decided to let her brother and the girl sleep as she went to prepare dinner.

Siana woke up from the alluring scent of fresh venison. When she tried to stretch, wondering how long she had slept, she felt strong arms enveloping her. She looked next to her to find Tenin still sleeping, with the most adorable expression she had ever seen on his face. She blushed a little because of her compromising position, but at the same time she didn't want to leave his bed, so she snuggled back next to him.

_Just a few more minutes,_ she thought as she lay with open eyes, gazing at his slumbering form.

Then Sanaha came to check on them and when Siana saw her standing at the door frame, she stood up much, much faster than she normally would. At her sudden movement Tenin woke up, at first sleepily searching for her body with his arms which he suddenly felt empty. When he woke up completely and saw his sister in the doorway and Siana standing tensely, he stood up next to her as well.

The young priestess just looked at them, desperately trying to keep her cheeky smile from spreading ear to ear. Tenin and Siana exchanged a glance, then they both quickly looked away, a blush creeping on both their faces.

"D-Dinner's ready," Sanaha stuttered with a stifled giggle. Wordlessly, her brother and Siana followed her to the kitchen. They sat next to each other as they normally did, but neither broke the silence.

"Now, about earlier today..." the female elf began after they had finished their meal.

The warriors looked at each other, then Siana spoke up:

"Yes. You misunderstood. It's all part of a new training method master Find'alar wants to try with us. The point of it is to teach us to obey vital orders better and improve our performance in stressful situations, for example having to eliminate a friend-turned-traitor."

"Yes, and master Find'alar also humbly requests your support in this endeavor," Tenin added in the same businesslike way as Siana.

His older sister raised her bushy dark blue eyebrows impressed, but still somewhat skeptical.

"So basically your master wants me to heal the gaps you two will give each other throughout the day?"

"Well, if you put it like that..." Siana mumbled.

"Alright, I'll do it," Sanaha sighed, "Just try not to hurt yourselves too much."

"We'll try," Tenin reassured.

The young priestess nodded and stood up to go to bed.

"Just so you know, I don't approve of this," she said before she went to her room.

The night elf sighed.

"That went better than I expected," Siana said, "but why didn't you tell me Find'alar wanted her to help in this?"

"Guess I forgot," Tenin shrugged, and then yawned. "Hmmmm, too much excitement for one day, I'm turning in."

He did as he said and Siana decided to do the same shortly afterwards.

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The next few days were stressful for both Siana and Tenin. They continued with their new training, each trying to be as merciless as possible. Soon they discovered that this wasn't too difficult as they found that each could handle everything the other tried. When Siana abandoned the roguish techniques she'd picked up, she and Tenin stood on equal ground.

They turned it into a healthy competition. The awareness of their equality edged Tenin on to return his status as the better from the two of them while at the same time drove Siana on to jump over the hurdle their equality represented. Around Siana Tenin also improved his speed a little so he could be capable of keeping up with her while she gained some strength in order to defend herself better. Their master smiled as he watched them.

However, he noticed Siana became increasingly nervous.

Her uneasiness reached its peak the afternoon before the day she was to leave for her mission. She was worriedly repeating the details to Tenin as they walked home, their master having dismissed them earlier so she could prepare.

"We leave at dawn for Rut'theran village and from we board a goblin zeppelin. We travel without any breaks all the way to Azshara where we are dropped off at a secluded place not too far from Grim Ulang camp..."

"What, are you worried because you've never traveled in a zeppelin before?" Tenin asked.

"No, it's not that, I'm not worried. As I was saying, we get off near Grim Ulang and we wait for the leaders of our group to decide when exactly to act. When they decide, we send the rogues to scout the area, then we do our job and immediately board the zeppelin back to Darnassus... I hope..." she finished uncertainly with her gaze buried at her feet.

"Please, Shala," Tenin sighed with exasperation and suddenly caught her small hand in his large palm, never ceasing his steps. "I really need to feel that you are calm. It's just a mission after all! You have been on many already. This one won't be much different.

She opened her mouth, but then closed it and gulped noisily, as if swallowing her words down. She didn't lift her eyes off the ground and just squeezed his hand.

_But it's different, it may be just a mission but Elune damn it, I have a bad feeling about it!, _she thought. She was tired of worrying, tired of the nauseating feeling in her gut and definitely tired of someone trying to calm her down. She told Tenin that, but it didn't make her feel better, all it did was make Tenin delicately let go of her hand and effectively shut up. She bit her lip. She hadn't wanted to hurt him.

They stopped when they reached the house and she cut off his path.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just don't want you to worry about me, there's no use trying to calm me down."

"And why is that?" he asked, suddenly irritated.

"Because it's useless and you're making me even more nervous!" she hit back.

Tenin took a deep breath. He hated arguing with her, but Siana could be impossible sometimes.

"Listen, _Shala, _all this training and everything was for you, so why the fuck don't you be a little more grateful?" his voice came out colder than he'd intended and she looked surprised. When Tenin lost patience, things usually got bad. He knew her temper was just nerves, caused by the fact that tomorrow it all began. He also knew that it was because she felt incredibly inexperienced. She had never had to leave Teldrassil, she had never been on a mission that required anything more than to kill the enemy and go back, and she also had never had to face orcs, not to mention fel orcs. The young night elf had a feeling he understood her fears better than she herself did. But even so, she had no right to take it out on him.

"Well, it's not like I wanted anyone to help me!"

"I don't care what you wanted! I'm doing this because I lo..." he trailed off, but a bit too late as Siana's eyes widened a little. She always knew he loved her, only now she wasn't sure in what way.

Tenin reflected on his selfish words for a moment. Everything he'd tried to make her feel strong enough had backfired, so what the heck? Maybe this would help.

"I'm worried about you," he began again in a calmer voice, "because I _love _you, Siana."

"I... I know," came her shaky reply, her voice having lost its irritated tone.

Wordlessly, they went in. Siana locked herself in her room and stayed there until late evening. Tenin finally lost patience and went to check on her. To his surprise the door was unlocked.

The elf went in and found her sitting in the middle of her bed, curled up, gazing out the window. A beam of moonlight shone through it and fell where she was sitting, making her look like a vision. She didn't give any indication that she had noticed him come in and he sighed, then made his way to her bed and sat next to her.

"What am I going to do with you?" he said and she finally turned to look at him. She smiled sadly, her eyes shining with the moonlight almost as bright as his shimmering, amber ones. She said nothing and Tenin took the opportunity to take her face in his large hands. He had never done that with her.

"Listen to me, Shala," he said in a low, husky voice bordering a whisper, "I want you to remember something. You are much braver than you believe and much stronger than you seem. When I dragged you out of the water those years ago, I instantly knew that. You changed me for the better. Before you walked into my life, I was this shallow person who never gave much thought to anything. I just breezed through life, not knowing where I was going, until you came along. You made me want to be better, to really achieve something, just as you were doing. I realize that I had never really felt alive until I met you."

Siana's eyes showed confusion, but her hand found its way into Tenin's, lacing her fingers with his. Why was he telling her all these things? She knew the answer: he had wanted to tell her this for a long time, but all these words were very out of character, she'd never seen him in this light.

"Oh, I almost forgot – happy birthday, Siana." he said with a smile.

She finally remembered. Today was her birthday, but she had been so preoccupied with her fears that she had forgotten.

"Thanks," she chuckled.

"Here."

She hadn't noticed when he had come in, and neither had she seen that he was carrying something, so she was surprised when he held it in front of her.

It was a battle axe.

"Oh, Tenin, you shouldn't have...!" she gasped as she tentatively accepted it. It was heavy, but light enough for her to swing around easily, which she tried.

"I'll take it with me," she said, her words showing her gratitude. She put the axe down next to her travel sack which she'd prepared earlier in the evening and went back to Tenin on the bed. His light smile showed he was pleased she liked her gift. She leaned on her elbow and he did the same, looking at her angelic face.

He reached out and caressed her cheek. Siana was glad the darkness hid her blush of embarrassment. Tenin's displays of affection were getting more and more... intimate, but she didn't run away from his gentle fingers.

Then the elf did something that caught her completely off guard. The curious part was that she saw it coming, yet did nothing to stop him.

As if it was the most natural thing, Tenin dipped his head, leaning towards her as his eyes fluttered closed, and his soft lips met hers, pressing against them carefully. Her eyes widened in shock.

_What the hell_ _is Tenin doing?! And why the hell am I going along?!_

But the second his lips became a little bolder, all thoughts flew out the window. She parted her lips and Tenin followed suit, then gathered up the courage to give her plump bottom lip a small nip.

"Uhhh..." Sanaha's surprised sound rolled off her lips before she could stop it as she stood in the doorway. Siana and Tenin jumped as if stung, their lips separating with a tell-tale smack.

The three were in separate corners of the room and Sanaha was hardly resisting the urge to press her hand to her face in order to conceal the smirk that threatened to spread from ear to ear while Tenin and Siana were looking at anything but each other, both their faces flushed.

"Dinner's ready, if anyone's hungry," the priestess said with a badly concealed grin. Not looking at either female in the room, Tenin hurried out while Siana muttered that she wasn't hungry. Sanaha had none of it and dragged the girl to the kitchen.

"You are _not _starving right before your mission!"

Siana saved the priestess her suspicions that even if she tried, she wouldn't be able to consume anything and obediently followed her to an awkward dinner during which two particular sets of eyes met at least a dozen times with a strained glance.

Siana managed to take a few bites but then excused herself so she could finally be alone with herself.

She plopped down on her bed heavily with her arms behind her head.

_What the fuck is my problem?!_

The girl rolled her eyes inwardly, as her own question could be asked about not one and two things in her head.

_Why am I so freaked out by Tenin? _

_Oh, I don't know, maybe because I looked at him as a brother during the last few years!_

She sighed.

_But why didn't I see the change in him until a few minutes ago? I was probably too wrapped up in myself to notice._

She knew that wasn't completely true, however. In the past few weeks Tenin had started behaving differently around her and she had noticed, but just hadn't paused to wonder why. She replayed the last couple of weeks in her mind and saw so many little things that should have given her a hint that Tenin no longer wanted to be just her best friend and brother figure: the way his eyes would light up when he saw her, the fact that he had started touching her more than he did before, the more than one time he had told her she was beautiful. She had brushed it off as mere concern.

But sometimes she had caught him looking at her strangely, with a peculiar reverie that made his amber gaze softer. She almost laughed when she remembered how she would ask him if she had something on her face with confusion.

_What should I do with him? I've loved him for years but now I guess he wants me to love him in another way. But I don't want to disappoint him, I don't want to hurt him... He deserves someone better than a dense person like me. But maybe I could try..._

_Oh, who am I kidding! All I ever do is disappoint those around me. I should never try to love Tenin in a way other than that I have loved him until now...! _

Siana bit her lip and she felt stupid and selfish for thinking that. Why did it have to be so hard? Perhaps she could try to be something more to the young night elf. He had saved her life and supported her so much, she owed him at least a try. But she knew she would be even more devastated than him if she proved unable to give him the happiness he deserved.

With those thoughts in her mind, she willed herself to sleep.

* * *

Siana was standing in front of the waygate to Rut'theran, Tenin holding her hand. Sanaha was chatting with the priest from the group in front of them.

The whole morning Siana had felt as if her insides were living eels but now she felt as if her insides were gone completely.

"It will be alright, you'll see," Tenin continued to utter quiet reassurances. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. Siana just looked up to him sadly. She was such a heart-wrenching picture that Tenin almost got angry at the pessimism that practically radiated off the usually cheerful girl.

"Hey, don't be like that! Come on, where's my smile?"

The edges of her lips curled upwards a bit but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Siana reminded herself that this was just another mission and her eyes lit up with the usual excitement she felt before one.

Tenin embraced her and she buried her head in his chest as he stroked her auburn hair.

"Bye, Shala. See you in a few days!" he said as he finally released her and leaned in to kiss her forehead. The girl's hand reached up to tug him down but she stopped the need to feel his lips upon hers again. This was no time for love. There were important times coming and she knew it was foolish to get distracted.

Sanaha was going to accompany the girl to Rut'theran as she was on an errand, but from then on their ways parted.

The young priestess had watched her brother and Siana's goodbye scene and was again stricken with how vulnerable they both could be, despite being two of the best warriors the kal'dorei army could offer.

The girl took her place among the group of fourteen that had moved closer to the portal and Sanaha joined her, taking her hand in hers as they both turned to wave goodbye to Tenin.

Then the leader of the group, an experienced rogue with an air of nobility about him, led the rogues, warriors and priests into the portal.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter XI**

**A/N: Hi my lovely people! Yes, I am aware that there are no zeppelins in Rut'theran, but if I say there are, there are!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warcraft and I do not profit from this story.**

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"Good luck!" Sanaha hugged the girl and got back on the path to the village.

Siana was finally left alone with her group. As the fourteen night elves climbed the steps leading to the zeppelin landing platform, the human started looking for familiar faces. All the elves were male, not that it bothered her in the least. Siana had no trouble being one of the very few females among the ranks of the warriors. She liked to think of herself as "one of the boys", and so did they.

Among the warriors she knew only one – her friend Oghma, who had been polite enough to not yet start drilling her with questions about Tenin and their farewell scene. The others Siana knew only by face. She'd never met them officially, but she'd seen them around the training grounds at one time or another. The rogues were a different story. The only one that was remotely familiar was one of the two that had been with Ilcoron that evening at the tavern. Siana was not in the mood for making acquaintances and the elderly priest of their group was not an exception, even though he did look friendly.

The group came up at the platform where a zeppelin was already waiting. A goblin came down a short ladder from the aircraft and grumpily said that he was going to fly them. Siana didn't like him, hell, she didn't like goblins in general. At least the greedy little monsters didn't care who they did business with, as long as they were paid enough. But Siana didn't trust them, she had heard that some individuals of the short green race liked to work as spies for both sides for the double profit.

"Um," she turned to the leader of the group, albeit awkwardly as she still didn't know his name. "Is it really... safe to trust our group in the hands of a goblin?"

The tall elf gave a small smile and leaned to her. "Don't worry, this one won't tell a soul about our mission if he wants to live. We have a... deal." the rogue said quietly.

"Come on, climb aboard, I ain't got all day!" the goblin screeched and looked at the group disdainfully. When his small beady eyes reached their leader, they narrowed with malice. Strangely, it made Siana feel better about the goblin servicing her group.

They climbed onto the zeppelin one by one. Once they were all aboard, Siana set her travel pack in one corner of the bare interior and went to the edge. She leaned on it and took a last look at the small night elven village. The morning mist was still blanketing the village and making it look like a small island.

"Get ready for take-off!" the goblin shouted from behind her. She walked away from the edge a bit and watched as the goblin untied the ropes that held the zeppelin grounded.

Then the air craft slowly began to rise up in the air and Siana panicked a little, not having traveled like this before. But the next second she saw Oghma walking towards her with a smile on his face.

"Hey, how is our little fighter doing? You're not afraid of heights are you," he teased when he got next to her.

"Of course I'm not."

"By the way, what was all that touchy-feely stuff with Tenin back at Darnassus? Are you guys seeing each other or something?" he asked, partly to take her mind off the lift-off and partly to satisfy his own curiosity.

Siana knew he would ask her about it sooner or later, but that fact didn't stop a blush that would put a tomato to shame from creeping over her face.

"What? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Alright, I'm in for playing dumb. But don't worry, I was just teasing. Tenin is a nice guy, though. He's got it for you reeeeal bad."

"He has what for who?" she knitted her eyebrows.

"Pff! And I was told humans were intelligent..." Oghma muttered under his long dark green beard, but loud enough for the girl to hear.

"Hey! One kiss doesn't make it--"

"Whoohoo!" the elf's bushy eyebrows flew up. "I think someone's in love!" he teased in a sing-song voice.

Siana just hn-ed, as opposed to normally attempting to beat the crap out of her friend. Well, she couldn't deny that she loved Tenin, she just wasn't sure if she was _in love _with him.

She tried not to ponder it as Oghma chuckled and went to chat with the other warriors.

Meanwhile the zeppelin had stopped rising at a fair altitude and had headed south. The scenery below took Siana's breath away.

While she'd been bickering with Oghma, they had left Teldrassil behind and the view of the capital painted in orange and pink hues by the rising sun amidst the mist on top of the colossal tree was one she would never forget.

"Alright, time for introductions." she heard the leader's voice from behind and turned to see everyone standing in a circle around him. She joined the elves.

"I'm Maeglin and you will be my subordinates for this mission," he said plainly and turned his silvery eyes to Siana expectantly.

She inwardly sighed. Why did they always begin with her?

She introduced herself and said she was part of the warriors in the group. The other warriors did the same and added a few words about themselves. The rogues only said their names, so did the priest.

Siana forgot all her comrades' names as soon as they said them, only remembering that the name of the rogue from the tavern was Gilanas.

The zeppelin was picking up speed and the goblin suggested that they should sit down. Siana went and sat next to her travel pack. Absently she opened it and took out a whetstone, then reached for the axe strapped to the sash at her hips. She started sharpening the already sharp blade and her thoughts drifted away to Tenin again when she looked at his present.

_What is he doing while I'm flying over the Great Sea? I hope Sanaha has already got back to him so he isn't alone._

The young priestess had given Siana a charm identical to the one she herself always wore. The two necklaces linked their wearers and Sanaha had told the girl to say the words of the spell written on the charm if she was ever in trouble. The spell would signal Sanaha that something was wrong and she could send help to the girl.While this wasn't that much helpful, it made the girl feel better.

"I wouldn't get near anything I don't want to slaughter with that blade if I were you," she heard her friend's voice from next to her. She snapped out of her daze and looked at him questioningly.

"Well, you've been sharpening that thing for the past half hour," he said, nodding to the axe on her lap.

"Oh."

Siana quickly put the stone away and carefully strapped the big axe back.

Then she stood up and went to the edge. The scenery was nothing but endless blue waters and it was both beautiful and a little scary, she thought.

"What are you thinking?" asked Oghma leisurely.

"I'm thinking that it's a really long way to swim to any shore if we fall in the sea right now."

"True." he nodded calmly. "But that isn't going to happen."

"Why are you so sure?"

The elf shrugged.

"I don't know, it just won't. At least if we don't want it to."

Siana wished she could apply that to many, many other things.

_It would be wonderful if I could prevent things from happening just by wishing they didn't. I could have avoided so many problems... Like that whole story with Ilcoron, and Tenin's..._

She stopped herself before she inevitably fell into the pit of gloominess. She hated when her mind would wander to Ilcoron, but recently she hated it even more when it would wander to Tenin. In the end, she decided not to think about anything that was male. But due to her environment, not much choice was available. In the end she started thinking about Sanaha, but that inevitably led her thoughts to Tenin.

She growled.

Usually she would have whined, but the situation she'd put herself in was growl-worthy on her scale, which was at least two levels higher than whine-worthy.

Oghma watched all this in amusement. At least she wasn't all grim and depressed, and that was something. He would gladly become the object of her anger if it would help to get her mind off her troubles, whatever they were. The night elf respected Siana too much to stick his nose into her business. She was like his little sister and he loved to play the big brother. He just hadn't told her that, for fear of the consequences of calling Siana his "baby sister".

"You know what they say – what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," he said, then ruffled her hair and went to his corner again.

Siana shook her head to chase away any sort of thoughts and spent the next few hours of the journey gazing down below to the beautiful blue abyss. Eventually she wasn't afraid anymore, but instead felt like her usual cheerful self. She was thankful for Oghma's calming presence which finally helped her to look forward to this mission as she had to each of her previous ones.

* * *

"I wonder if they've arrived yet."

Sanaha sat next to her brother at the table and started eating.

"No, but they should be any minute now," she said.

When Tenin didn't lift his gaze which was currently glued to his plate, Sanaha patted him on the back reassuringly.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure she's fine."

Her smile died down a bit.

_I hope._

* * *

"We'll be arriving in about half an hour."

The goblin's grumpy announcement startled Siana. She hadn't noticed at all when the sun had come down low on the horizon, casting a golden glow on the scenery which had now changed from endless blue waters to the rocky cliffs of Azshara's shores. It was something new to the girl, as she hadn't left the island of Teldrassil since her first day there. Soon she began to see small forests that were far from dense. The vegetation had brown and orange colors to it, as if all of it had died out. The peninsula gave the look of eternal autumn.

Siana went to get her travel pack and hurried to join the neat line the elves had started to form close to the boarding ladder.

"Ten minutes!"

Maeglin was at the front, while she was closer to the back, a few of the warriors behind her. Everyone chatted lively in couples, except her. She didn't mind being the fifteenth, but soon joined the leader at the front. She felt safe with the rogue somehow, and no one was complaining that she wanted to stick with him.

The zeppelin slowed down and hovered in the air for a moment and then slowly started descending. From where she was standing, Siana couldn't really see her exact location, but patiently waited for the machine to land. When they finally reached the ground, Maeglin made a sign with his hand to stop the chatter.

"Alright. I want everyone to follow me, divided into pairs. Siana and Udili – with me. Don't separate! No one goes anywhere alone."

Then he pulled out of nowhere a small leather bag and tossed it to the goblin. It clattered when he caught it and it became clear to everyone that it was filled with coins.

"It was an honor to be of service," the short creature said with a tone that screamed 'bootlicker'. Obviously, he was now hoping to be of service again. Good, Siana thought, at least they wouldn't worry about who to hire for the way back.

Maeglin motioned for everyone to follow him and the elves quickly paired up while Siana made her way over next to the leader along with the priest, whose name, she figured, had to be Udili. She looked round but couldn't spot Oghma, so she figured he had to be somewhere at the back of the group. She didn't have much time to ponder that though, as Maeglin led them down the ladder and finally onto the ground.

Siana looked around when she got down. In the soft light of the setting sun she could see they had landed in what appeared to be a moor in the middle of nowhere. The tallest plants around were some bushes devoid of their leaves and the whole area was in sharp contrast with Teldrassil's lush green forests which the girl had got so used to. In this place she felt somehow exposed.

She walked at Maeglin's side who had yet to say anything. The group behind the three were talking merrily and when laughter broke out, the rogue abruptly stopped and turned around.

"I suggest keeping quiet. I doubt anyone wants to attract the enemy to us while we're unprepared and fail this mission before it even started," he said, effectively silencing the elves.

The group continued on in relative silence which was occasionally broken by hushed, quick mumbling. Night was quickly approaching and Siana wondered whether they were going to travel in the dark as well.

After what seemed to be an hour, a small forest emerged in the distance.

"Are we going to set up camp there?" she asked Maeglin quietly.

"Yes."

When the group reached the first trees, the sun had completely set and the first few stars had appeared in the darkened sky. Siana had started to feel a gnawing feeling in her gut, but didn't know what could have caused it. Perhaps it was the fact that she hadn't seen anything alive in this place since the group landed. She didn't like Azshara's desolate look. It felt false.

Meanwhile, Maeglin had turned to the group again.

"This is where we will set up camp. After this is done, I will brief and send out a scout team to determine the orcs' base location and to collect information on their numbers. The rest will wait for the scout party to return. As soon as they get back, I will decide whether and how to initiate the attack. Is everything clear?"

Fourteen heads nodded in unison.

"Good. Now let's get to work. And don't start more than one fire. Too much light and smoke could give away our position."

The group ventured a little deeper into the forest and began setting up small tents. Gilanas and Oghma were sent to gather firewood. When they returned, Siana joined them to start a fire. When everything was arranged, Maeglin gave everyone half an hour to rest up. Siana stood next to the fireplace and tried to ignore the chilly breeze that whistled between the trees.

"Is everyone ready?" they heard the leader ask. After multiple "yes"-es sounded, he continued.

"Glad to hear. Now, I will call out the names of the scout team. Whoever hears their name, come up to me."

He called out the names of all the rogues one by one which didn't surprise anyone. Then he called out one of the warriors. Siana figured he had to be one of those who did best at their stealth training and calmly continued poking around the fireplace, until she heard her own name.

Her brows knitted together as she walked over to Maeglin confused.

"Why--"

"Because you are the one who displayed best results in the training you were required to undergo for this mission," he answered curtly, then turned to those he had called out: "Follow me."

He led them a few meters away from the rest of the group and pulled out a map. He laid it out on the ground between them and Siana saw that it was a map of an Azshari area.

"This is our current location," Maeglin said as he pointed near the center of the map. "Three kilometers northeast of here the terrain begins to pass into a hilly area. Between the two largest hills, here and here, is a boulder which marks the entrance to an iron mine. A couple thousand years ago, it was a place where heavy fel energy concentrated. The information we have been given states that fel orcs have taken residence in there and may be trying to come up with a way to siphon it. Your mission will be to sneak in and obtain information as to the numbers of the fel orcs and determine if they indeed are attempting to drain the energy from there. Depending on your findings, we will try to exterminate the orcs and seal the mine."

The leader studied their faces. "Should the numbers of the orcs prove too great for you to handle if discovered, use this talisman to signal the rest of us and we'll come to your aid."

He gave Gilanas a talisman with a dark green rune on it.

"I appoint Gilanas captain of the scout party."

The other rogues tucked the talisman away.

"Are your duties clear?" Maeglin asked everyone. They all nodded.

"Right. Go!"

Siana stood up with the elves and the group started running towards the edge of the forest.

The girl took a last look at the camp over her shoulder before dashing forward to catch up with the night elves. The seven of them ran quietly through the tall, yellowed grass. They hunched over a bit and hid in the grass completely.

After some time, Siana saw small hills around which were getting bigger as they went further. Finally, two hills that were obviously bigger than the rest came into view and the group slowed down to stop.

"Stick to the shadows," Gilanas told them quietly, "and follow me. Tread carefully!"

With that, the rogues and the warrior quickly merged with the shadows. Only their bright eyes shone through the darkness and Siana's pulse caught in her throat. She could never conceal herself as well as they could and right now she was feeling inferior, topped with the butterflies in her stomach from the excitement.

The group slowly started going closer to the mine entrance, keeping an eye out for enemies. Siana found it odd and troubling that they saw none, even when they finally reached the boulder. Apparently, the complete absence of living creatures bothered Gilanas as well.

"We'll make a circle around this area again. I don't like this," he said and let them around the space between the hills. The group went very slowly, scanning every visible place, yet still found no trace of the orcs whatsoever. They came back to the big rock.

"I guess we have nothing else but to get in. Be extremely careful!"

The elves nodded. Siana did too from her spot at the back of the group.

Gilanas led them to the other side of the rock and in the darkness Siana could just make out a big opening at its base. When they reached it, the seven of them leaned over the hole.

The girl had to keep herself from gasping when she heard distant sounds which sounded like the growls of beasts.

"So they're hiding," Gilanas whispered, "Come on, let's do this."

He stood up and went to the edge of the hole, the disappeared within it. The rogues followed him in and so did the warrior. This left Siana the last one outside. She gulped and jumped in too.

She fell a few meters before her feet connected with solid ground. From then on, there was a wide tunnel curving downwards and Siana could walk up straight in it. When she came out, the darkness suddenly brightened up.

Siana saw the group waiting for her right of the tunnel and she joined them, keeping as quiet as she could.

They were standing in a large cavern which almost looked like a hall. It was round, the ceiling high and there were braziers in the walls, illuminating the place. It was evident that it had been a mine, old tools lay forgotten and half-buried near the walls which bore shovel marks.

What was more interesting was that all sound seemed to have stopped and all they could hear was the burning torches. At the far end of the cavern were numerous arches, each apparently leading to a different level of the mine. Without at least of the place, one was bound to get lost.

"Here is what we'll do," Gilanas whispered and the sound bounced off the walls. "Everyone split up and take a different tunnel. As soon as you see an enemy, get out of here and wait at the entrance for the others. The two warriors – with me. Don't separate!"

Siana wanted to tell him that splitting up was a hell of a bad idea, but she stopped herself. They had to report at least something, they could afford to go back empty-handed.

With a lump in her throat she followed Gilanas and the other warrior into the first tunnel. The three pushed their backs against the wall and slowly went in. The silence was unnerving Siana immensely and when Gilanas's foot accidentally brushed over a pebble on the ground, the dragging sound made her jump.

The rogue angrily made her a sign to keep quiet. She nodded and the three continued following the tunnel.

The girl didn't know whether they'd walked for minutes or hours when they finally saw the end of the tunnel. There was a brighter light at the end and the three picked up their pace, all but running through the opening.

Siana's heart almost stopped as she gasped.

Right in front of them. They were many, all around the cavern, tall and large, with red skin and eyes that shone with an unnatural green glow. When the three turned back to run, they were met with another wall of fel orcs yielding axes as big as the girl.

Then all the orcs gave an unearthly growl which froze the blood in Siana's veins. Even as her fingers clawed at the axe at her sash, she knew it was completely hopeless. This was it. Beside her Gilanas had activated the charm.

"We have to try," she heard him say to her and the other warrior. "Get ready..."

The orcs were coming closer.

"Now!" he shouted and the three of them rushed in a desperate attempt to fight off the orcs. Before she comprehended his order, Siana had beheaded the first orc who reached her. Burning blood spurted onto her hands, her shirt and her pants. It burned like acid and she screamed as she doubled over, nearly dropping her axe. Through the haze she saw Gilanas kill two orcs with one swing, but they were countless.

She heard a growl from above and tried to pull herself together. The next second the orc's huge axe was coming down to finish her and she barely managed to block it with her own. The orc was unnaturally strong and kept pressing down. Siana bent under the brute strength and panicked. She rolled to the side and chopped the orc's leg off. The creature hissed, as if he'd hardly felt it and more orcs came.

Siana killed two, three, then five, but they just kept coming. The had her cornered and she knew it. Gilanas and the warrior were completely hidden from her line of sight, but she had to worry about herself as she jumped and slashed and avoided deadly blades from all sides.

She screamed as she slaughtered two with one hit. Her breath was coming out in forced pants, she couldn't go any more. She tried not to look at the orcs' terrifying features as she killed one after another. The were growling and shouting incoherently, but once or twice she thought she heard them scream "Wretched human!"

Then a huge fist connected with her stomach and she fell on the ground, hitting her head in the wall. She heard a sharp sound she knew had to come from a whip and the next thing she felt was something wrapping around the handle of her axe, pulling it away. She grunted, trying to pull it back, but the fatigue and the orcs' burning blood loosened her grip and the human was disarmed.

She knew she was going to die. But not without a fight. As huge claws reached for her, she kicked them away, punched randomly and not one or two pained roars bounced off the walls. If she wasn't so desperate, Siana would have noticed that the orcs weren't trying to kill her.

A whip lashed and hit her. She screamed and finally stilled, doubled over in pain.

"You're coming with us, maggot!"

Siana felt the blood was doing strange things to her. Her vision was beginning to blur and her limbs felt so heavy, but she tried to fight when she felt large hands grabbing at her. In the end the orcs pulled her to her knees and yanked her arms behind her back roughly, then tied her up so tight that she could hardly breathe.

Then with shouts pushed her to walk in front of them. The whip hit her every time she tripped on her quivering legs. They finally got back to the end of the tunnel where Siana was greeted with a sight that drained all hope for survival from her.

Before her stood all fourteen night elves from the group, tied up and looking bruised and battered in much the same way as her.

"Sia--" Maeglin tried to say, but a lash from the orc with the whip silenced him.

"You'll speak when spoken to!" the orc growled, his glowing eyes full of disgust.

_It was a trap... They knew we were coming and they ambushed us... And now they've got us all..._

Siana finally comprehended it through the haze of pain and would have slammed her head if she could for not seeing it earlier.

"This one ain't even worth all the trouble we went through to catch her, so why're we keepin' her? I could just slit that little neck..." she heard one of the orcs that held her say.

"No! You do that and Haldarr will have our heads!" growled the other.

_Haldarr? That was the orc they warned us about!_

"Silence!" shouted the brutish orc with the whip, then turned to the elves and Siana. "You, vermin, are here for a purpose. Try to escape, and I'll make sure you rethink the meaning of pain. Haul them away!" he shouted to the orcs holding them.

Siana witnessed a few futile attempts for escape by her comrades and the heart-wrenching screams they gave out afterwards cut through her like knives. The one with the whip was merciless.

Her captors led her into one of the tunnels. When they got reasonably far from the others, Siana tried to gather all the strength she had left into an attempt to break free.

She dug her feet into the floor and kicked one of the huge orcs in the crotch. He groaned and released her, while the girl jumped and hit the other orc in the chin with her head. Apparently not hard enough, as he didn't release her, but merely growled and closed his hand around her throat.

Siana saw stars. He was strangling her and she couldn't breathe. Instinct overtook her and her hands began to claw at his at her neck while her feet connected with his stomach, all to no effect.

"You idiot! Don't kill her!"

The orc suddenly let her go and she fell on the ground boneless, choking for air.

"If you kill her, you won't live another day!" the first one continued. Then he reached to pick her up. Siana kicked his hand and the orc kicked her in the stomach.

"What're you doing? I thought we shouldn't kill her." the second one said.

"I'm not killin' her, I'm just... disciplining her," the other smirked as Siana let herself be picked up. It had become obvious to the orcs that she couldn't possibly walk by herself anymore and she was dragged by one of them unceremoniously.

So they wouldn't kill her – the realization hit her fading consciousness. They could beat her half to death, but they wouldn't kill her. At least she wouldn't die right now, she thought grimly.

It was becoming dark in front of her eyes despite the growing brightness of the tunnel.

Her last thought was of Tenin.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

**A/N: Oh, no! What's going to happen next? Will there be salvation? Will there be survival? Will that god-damned pie finally be ready? Oops, kind of mixed things up right there.**

**So, liked it? Hated it? Both? Share your opinion and stay tuned! I'll try to update soon! ^_^**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter XII**

**A/N: I'm happy I finally managed to get this fic moving the way I wanted. Now on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warcraft and I do not profit from this story. My only joy is the fuzzy giddiness of receiving a review ^_^**

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Siana estimated she had been out for no more than a few minutes as she woke up to being thrown on a cold, stone floor. She groaned and strained herself to sit up, looking around to find she was in a cell of some sort.

"Be a good little human, why dont'cha."

Those voices were familiar. Siana turned to see the two orcs that had caught her closing the door of the cell and locking it. The panic hauled the girl to her feet and she stumbled in the direction of the barred door with wide eyes. Just as the orcs were leaving she reached it and started pulling on the iron bars like a caged animal. When it sunk into her mind that she couldn't possibly open them, she stopped, breathing harshly. Her legs gave out and she ended up on the cold ground again.

Her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the place and she could see that there were faint lights and sounds coming from left and right of her cell, but she couldn't make out anything. As far as she could see, her cell was in the middle of a long row of cells in the tunnel she remembered being dragged along.

The girl hugged her knees and tried to calm herself, repeating in her mind that there had to be a way out.

_The talisman!_

A streak of hope flickered through Siana as she checked to find that the trinket was still around her neck. Her trembling fingers latched onto the string and pulled, tearing it so she could see it better in the faint light.

Siana knew that even with the talisman, help wouldn't arrive in at least two days, but this was all she had going for her and her comrades. She listened closely, making sure no one was coming before turning the talisman in her hand and starting to chant.

She could just read the words of the spell and tried to say the first one, but her throat was so parched that all that came out was a strained little sound reminiscent of a croak. She swallowed a couple of times.

"_Bar bash fallah," - _the talisman started to glow -_ "Kal'Shala numen ibnu laelien--"_

"What are you doing in there?!"

Siana literally jumped at the sound of the fel orc's voice and the talisman flew a few meters in front of her, landing next to the bars. Why hadn't she heard him coming?

The girl's eyes widened as she rushed to grab the trinket, but it was too late – a large hand made its way through the bars and took it before she could reach it.

The human stopped in front of the bars and shoved her arms through them in an attempt to return it, but was met with a hit from a whip. She immediately withdrew, hissing in pain.

"What's this?", the orc mumbled to himself as he examined the trinket in his hand. "No matter."

With that, he dropped it on the ground and raised his foot.

"No!!"

Her shout died down as the orc's boot came down on Sanaha's talisman, crushing it into pieces. The orc's foul laughter faded as he walked away.

"NO!!"

Siana didn't care who heard her now as she screamed and stumbled against the wall, her back sliding along it.

She couldn't believe it. Her last chance for escape – crushed. Reality reached her and she realized she had no hope now. She would stay in this place until the orcs tired of her and killed her or made her a sacrifice to one of their demonic deities.

Anyone in her place would curl up and cry, but something in Siana snapped then, much like the animalistic instincts that overcame her when she was trapped in the iron grip of an enemy, unable to move.

The girl latched onto the metal bars and tried to pass through them, in vain. Then she began kicking them, pulling at them. When they didn't budge a millimeter, she got on her knees and started scratching the ground, trying to dig hole under them. The whole time she wasn't fully comprehending her own action; the only thing she felt was the rapid thumping of her heart and the instinct that said "get away!" Every heartbeat seemed to be repeating "Get out! Way out!"

_Out...out...out..._

…

_...There really is no way out..._

A chill ran down her spine, so strong that it made her sit down. Siana suddenly felt so terribly alone that it made a whole somewhere inside. Her friends were taken Elune knew where, if they were even alive, while no one else knew that they were in trouble.

The girl huddled into one corner and hugged her knees again. She didn't move, just stared into the dimness in front of her.

Then, after what seemed only a few minutes to the girl but was actually a few hours, a shadow crossed the flickering lights in the tunnel. Siana was too cramped to be able to move and just watched as the large silhouette appeared in front of the cell. She tried to breathe as quietly as possible.

Burning green eyes. Dark reddish skin. Why was she not surprised?

The fel orc seemed to rummage for something. Then what he had been searching for shone in the darkness – a key. The orc unlocked her door and left something on the ground inside, then locked up again and disappeared. If her muscles hadn't been so cramped, the girl would have attacked him.

Siana waited a few minutes, then slowly, painfully uncurled herself from her spot in one corner and crawled to what the orc had left – a piece of half-roasted meat and a cup of water. Normally, she would have grimaced at the thought of consuming anything brought by an orc, but at the sight of the meat she was reminded that she hadn't eaten all day. That, and she was dehydrated. In the next minute the contents of the cup and meat had disappeared.

Siana wiped her mouth with the back of her mouth, feeling better. Even though it was stale and with rather questionable qualities, the water was cold and cleared her head considerably.

_Alright. So I'm a prisoner. Let's see... can't break the bars, can't dig an escape tunnel, can't tell anyone where I am... _

She felt a pang of pain at the thought of her friends and comrades, but continued trying to come up with a way to escape. When the orc had come, he'd unlocked the door. With a key. She had to get that key, which was basically her only way out. The orcs had said that she should not be killed under any circumstance, so that meant they had to bring her food and water to make sure she didn't starve or die from lack of water.

Siana smiled to herself – it was just a matter of time until someone came to bring her food, and that someone would certainly have a key.

_All I have to do is somehow incapacitate him when he comes in, I don't even need the key, he'll have already opened the door._

However, disposing of a fel orc in a state as bad as hers with no weapons was another thing. She hummed and then began groping around on the ground in the darkness in search of any object she could use as a distraction. She planned to distract whoever they sent to bring her food so he turned around and then she would slug him the way Ilcoron had taught her.

She got excited. Soon, she would be getting out of here and would finally look for her teammates. She didn't give much thought to the fact that she didn't really know where she was and how to reach the exit, but she figured she could manage if she concealed herself well in the darkness which wasn't going to be hard. Her wounds weren't open, but were just bruises, which, although more painful, couldn't hinder her.

Her fingers finally touched something – just a pebble, but it would be enough to distract the guard. She clutched it and huddled back into her corner and waited. Time always seemed to pass unbearably slow when she didn't have anything to do. She was tired and her body sore, but she wouldn't dare fall asleep; she could miss the guard in case he came by soon.

As she waited, the girl listened to the distant sounds which reminded her of the roars and growls of huge beasts she had occasionally seen around Teldrassil.

Her eyes were drooping when she finally heard the distinct sound of steps coming closer and closer. She quickly squinted her eyes and pretended she was asleep.

In a minute came a fel orc, but Siana noticed he was different from the one who had come the first time. He was shorter and didn't carry a whip, but a flask and piece of bread. He glanced at her for a moment while he searched for his keys and growled something intelligible.

When he opened the door, the girl's muscles tensed and she swallowed. The orc stopped and looked at her, as if he knew she wasn't sleeping. She closed her eyes and prayed that he didn't come over to check, for she knew she could never mimic the breathing right when she was as tense as she was.

The guard stared for a few moments, then finally bent down to fill the cup a little ways inside the cell.

His death came quickly. He heard a noise from somewhere behind him and quickly turned to see. The only thing he saw was blackness as Siana's elbow drove into a point at the back of his neck. The red-skinned orc slumped to the ground unconscious, unaware of the girl's nimble fingers as she searched him for a weapon. She found the knife strapped to his belt and pulled it out, then quickly slit his throat.

His burning blood spurted and made a puddle on the ground. Some reached Siana, scorching her hand and she hissed, then dipped her hand in the cup with water. It soothed her a little and she rinsed the knife with it before tucking it away in her shirt. She made sure the guard was dead before taking his keys and his dark robe in order to conceal herself in the shadows better. She grimaced as she put it on.

_Why does their blood burn?_, she wondered as she stepped over the fel orc's body and out of the cell. She locked it, then put the hood of the cloak over her head and looked round.

The tunnel seemed endless, looking the same everywhere – braziers on the wall at one side and countless cells on the other. Hers seemed to be in the middle. Siana had no idea from which side she'd been brought here, so she just took the right side, hoping she had guessed right. She started walking slowly, with her back pressed to the wall. She looked in each cell as she passed them by, but they were all empty. In a few she saw humanoid skeletons, a sign that the place had been used as a prison for at least a decade or two.

The young warrior didn't like how the sounds seemed to increase in volume and became clearer. She was now certain the orcs were keeping at least a couple of dragons in the mine.

The tunnel's end then came into view and Siana quickened her pace, still being cautious and looking forward and over her shoulder nervously. When she came near the end, she heard multiple voices and froze in her tracks, mingling with the shadows as best as she could. The orcs were shouting and at first she couldn't make out anything, but then realized there were three of them and they were fighting over something.

"... that delay! Why should I follow him when he's hardly payin' me?! It's bad enough he's not coming for another week when he shoulda already been 'ere!"

"I'm watching your back, ain't I? If I weren't, the boss will've already thrown you to the hounds!"

"If you two don't stop this and report to Haldarr when he comes, I'll make sure you...."

The voices faded as the orcs walked away and Siana allowed herself to peek.

The tunnel she had just walked out of crossed with another, down which the orcs had apparently went after she heard them. Siana looked to both ends but couldn't see anyone, so she took the other tunnel and went in the direction from which the orcs had come.

_So, not only is that Haldarr not here now, he also isn't coming in the next week. That leaves these fel orcs practically with no leader, so that's probably why we never saw them outside the mine. They must be hiding in here and not in Grim Ulang camp because their operation is on hold until that Haldarr comes back. But what about that fel energy? Well, whatever they're planning, I have to get out and summon help so they can be stopped from completing their goal._

The girl had no idea where exactly she was, or if she was walking in the right direction, but she had a strange feeling she knew where the exit had to be. She moved more confidently, but still looked back every few minutes.

Then suddenly, she reached a dead end. She frowned. She certainly hadn't seen it, why was it there? All that was in front of her was a solid wall with a huge crack in it. But as Siana stood and looked at it, contemplating what to do next, another set of orcish voices reached her ears.

"They've found Kajind dead and locked in that human's cell!"

"She's escaped?! How?! And how has she killed him?"

"I don't know, alright! But we better find that leech! She can't be far, but if we don't catch her..."

The orc didn't finish, but it was more than clear to Siana that they would do anything in their power to find her. And now, she had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. She turned slowly and saw them far behind her. She knew they couldn't see her in the darkness, but it was just a matter of time before they came closer and spotted her. She pressed her palms to the wall and tried not to panic.

Her eyes followed the crack in it from top to bottom. She noticed at the bottom it was just wide enough for her to squeeze in. Siana didn't know what could be on the other side but she had no other way out. Maybe if she hid in the crack the orcs wouldn't notice her. She bent and feverishly tried to pass through.

"Ngh..." she grunted when she got her head and shoulders in. Behind the crack was a whole other tunnel, looking the same as the other ones. Siana didn't care, as long as she could get away from the orcs. Just as she was getting her hips through, she heard them again and they sounded much, much closer.

"Hey, what's that over there?"

"It's the human! Get her!"

She heard them run and panicked. She slithered like a snake through the crack but just as she was about to get her ankles through, she felt a strong hand close around one of them.

The girl's eyes widened. She was caught! Her instinct kicked in and she started pulling and grunting like an animal, doing everything she could to break the orc's iron grip on her leg. But he wouldn't let up.

"Grab her leg or she'll get away!" she heard them shout then felt fingers searching, touching her other foot. The girl realized she had seconds to break free and quickly brought out the knife. She bent in two and pushed the knife through the hole, blindly cutting at the fingers gripping her. She heard growls and knew she had cut the orc, then felt his burning blood on her skin but he didn't let her go. At the same time she felt another hand at her other ankle. She felt her knife being pulled away and quickly retracted her hand so they wouldn't break it.

Just as she uncurled from her impossible position, she felt herself being pulled with enormous strength through the hole.

It was over, but her mind refused to register it. The two orcs felt as if they had pulled out a wild animal when they came face to face with Siana. She screamed, not caring that other orcs would come, and jumped at them, her hands punching, clawing, her knees seeking to ram their stomachs but the orcs guarded themselves well.

"I really wanna kill this one! She's getting on my nerves!" growled one of them as he caught a grip of her leg. But as mindless as she seemed, Siana hadn't forgotten technique. She span like a top in his hands and in a second he fell to the ground heavily, shouting curses.

"Vermin!" she hissed, but then felt immense pain in her back and knew the other orc had hit her. She toppled over and was too slow to get up. The next thing she knew, one orc had caught both her legs and the other – her arms and they were hosting her up. She wiggled like a snake, left without the use of her limbs.

"I don't know how to deal with her without killing her, so we're taking her. The sooner it's over with, the better" said one, the other nodded. The pulled the hood of her cloak over her eyes and took her out of the tunnel.

"YOU WRETCHES!!" Siana screamed as they carried her like a piece of meat. She now understood the night elves' hatred for the orcs. It was now boiling in her heart, scorching, just like the demonic blood she fell on her legs from the fingers of the orc holding them. Her clothes were ripped in many places and her skin was exposed to the burning blood she'd drawn out of her captors.

"Let me go!!" her screams upped in pitch, echoing through the halls she couldn't see she was being carried through.

"Shut up or I'll slit your throat!" growled one of them.

The other didn't bother to tell him he couldn't do that. He knew the other was just threatening the girl to make her shut up. Unfortunately for them, she knew it too.

"Like you'll dare!" she continued wriggling. "Let me go right now, you bastards!"

The one holding her legs finally lost patience and wrenched her from the grip of the other. He threw her onto the ground, the cloak still over her eyes. Before she could gather her wits, she felt his rough hands on her throat as he picked her up from the ground. She felt her back get slammed into a wall, then felt cold metal being pressed to her neck. She immediately stilled.

"Listen, you filthy nit! The only reason you're still alive is 'cause there'll be use of you! But if you want to die so much, I dare ya to keep struggling," he growled into her ear and his foul scent filled her nostrils.

When she didn't move and said nothing, the orc dropped her and she doubled over on the ground, choking. She didn't try to escape when they picked her up again.

It finally sunk into Siana's mind that there was no escaping them.

_Is this it? They all lied to me! Tenin lied to me! Why did he promise he would always protect me when here I am, about to die in this hellhole!_

She sensed they were climbing up, but couldn't bring herself to care. All she felt was the angry throbbing of her bruises as she tried to breathe, her lungs refusing to co-operate.

After some time, the orcs stopped.

"What the hell? Why're you two bringin' her 'ere?" a voice asked.

"She escaped her cell and killed one of ours," answered one of the orcs holding the girl.

Siana stiffened when she heard what could only be the swish of a whip and tried not to cry out when she was hit.

"Is that so?" she heard him mock. "I'd love to punish her as she deserves, but we're still not ready here. We can't commence. If she's too hard for you mongrels to deal with, then move her to the upper level. She'll be taken better care of there."

"Understood."

The girl felt more stairs being climbed and knew she was being carried to the "upper level".

Soon enough it was clear what it was. The hood was lifted from her eyes and Siana was put in a cell. However, it was different. The cells were more like cages dug into the floor and guards walked over them. She could see more cells up around the enormous cavern. For a moment she thought she saw someone inside before she fell asleep from exhaustion.

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**A/N: I've been EXTREMELY busy lately, so I'm sorry if some of you have been annoyed/angered/reduced-to-chocolate-when-they-are-supposed-to-be-on-a-diet by my slow updating. But anyway, things should be finally quieting down for me in about a week, so hopefully this won't be happening any time soon.**

**Stay cool, don't get caught in the swine flu and R&R! ^_^**


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER XIII**

**A/N: Between the heat and school finals, I haven't updated in forever! So tired.... But at least it brought about that greeeaat writer's block which took so effing long to pass!^O^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warcraft and I do not profit from this story. So there!**

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"I beg of you, Priestess Whisperwind!" Tenin said with his head hung low. Tyrande eyed him for a moment, then said evenly:

"You're a bit late. I'm surprised you didn't come to me earlier."

"What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.

"I've already issued orders for the formation of a search-and-rescue party. And you and your sister are in it," she smiled bitterly, then turned to the few dozen elves gathered at the lower level of the Temple, followed by a confused Tenin.

"Listen up! Our comrades were due to return two days ago. There is nothing that could have delayed them except complete failure of the mission, which means they have probably been greatly outnumbered. All of you will travel the same route as your comrades and investigate their situation. If there are survivors, bring them back alive by any means! I hereby appoint Tenin Nuada as secondary commander and Inriel Silverleaf as leader of this rescue team. Everyone, our friends' lives and your own are in your hands now. We cannot afford to lose anyone! Now go. May the light of Elune be with you!"

*** * ***

"Siana! Siana!"

_Waking up in a cell is getting to be less and less alarming..._

The voice calling her name sounded as if someone was driving daggers through her head. She lifted her head from the frigid stone floor and tried to sit up. She saw stars and shook her head until her vision cleared up.

The first thing she saw through her now only semi-blurred vision was someone grabbing the bars of the cell above her from the inside. She looked closely and recognized one of the warriors from her group who was watching her with wide, worried, shimmering eyes.

"You haven't moved in two days and I thought you were dead..." whispered the night elf, but loud enough so she heard him.

"T-two days...?" she croaked, her parched throat barely producing sound.

"Quiet! If the guards hear you, you're in for it! I risked too much already waking you up."

Siana knelt and finally noticed that her whole body was shaking from the cold. She could hardly feel her feet and saw the floor was wet with water leaking from between the bars above her head.

"We need to get out of here..." she whispered. "Where are the others?"

"Some are around... but I haven't seen Maeglin. I really hope I'm wrong, but I think the orcs already killed him. I thought the same about you, until they brought you here."

"Why are we--"

"Shh! I hear someone coming!"

In a minute a heavily armed guard came and Siana watched as he threw a flask of water to the warrior through the bars. Then he walked over her cell and the sound of his steps faded.

"We get no food, only a little bit of water, just enough so we don't die. But I overheard them say they were ordered not to give you anything."

Siana made the link.

"I got out of the other cell they'd put me in and killed one of them. No wonder they don't want to feed me!" she smiled bitterly, but then quickly became serious. "We need to get out of here before they starve us to death or worse."

The night elf sat on the floor and shook his head.

"There is no way out. Gilanas was the last one who tried and I haven't seen him since..."

Siana had thought Maeglin and Gilanas were likely to be killed first because they had been leading the group, but now she realized the orcs had simply disposed of them because they had caused too much trouble. She understood the others were probably too afraid to dare to try to escape themselves and had just given up.

"No! There has to be a way... I managed to work my way out of one cell, and I'll work my way out of this one."

"I don't know where you were put before, but I can tell you--"

"NO TALKING!"

The two startled when the guard came out of nowhere, enraged.

The warrior huddled as far back into his cell as he could without a sound. Siana, however, had had more than enough of her share of angry fel guards. She had never been taken prisoner before, but right now, the fact her life was in their hands didn't register with her.

"Oh yeah, you red-skinned wretch?! Lemme out of here and I'll tear you apart! I'll cut your head off, you hear?! Let me out!" she jumped and grabbed hold of the bars above, trying to see where the guard's voice had come from. She found out all too soon.

The orc was right next to her cell, and he grabbed hold of one of her hands. Her anger was quickly replaced with panic, and a scream of pain reverberated through the cavern when the orc pulled roughly.

"Siana!" the warrior that had talked to the girl came close to his bars with fear in his voice as he called out to her. "Siana!!"

A crack was heard loud and clear, then a wild growl, and it didn't take a genius to figure out Siana had just had her left arm broken.

The girl continued to growl and hiss like an animal from the pain, while the guard, never releasing his hold on her broken arm, unlocked her cell and pulled her out. She struggled, but with her arm disabled it was useless and the orc sneered.

"Let go!!" she screeched, clawing at his large hand on her broken one as she was dragged out of her cell and across the stone floor to an illuminated staircase.

"Sure, I'll let ya go – in the pit with the wolves!" the orc mocked.

"Go die, you son of a-- Aaarrgh!" Her curses were quickly silenced when her body harshly connected with the stone steps as the orc continued dragging her upwards. Siana didn't say anything anymore, just whimpered quietly as each step dug into her ribs.

When the orc finally came up, Siana's eyes widened with horror.

This was the whole mission had been about, and she had found it, one way or another. An enormous circular cavern, much like the ones with cells, but in the center was a large fountain, its waters glowing a poisonous green. The surface seemed to boil as the fel energies concentrated beneath it swirled restlessly. By the fountain was a red dragon, its eyes two orbs of burning green. The beast growled and hurled flames onto fires scattered around the cavern. By each one was a fel orc, apparently doing sacrificial rituals, if the pigs and sheep being slaughtered were any indication. The floor was wet with blood.

"Everything is ready!" announced one who came to the guard holding Siana.

"About time, too! I've brought something to test it on," her captor said as he brought her forward, her face contorting in pain as he tightened his grip on her. "This little piece of shit has caused so much trouble, I can't wait to see her burn."

"Well, we're in luck," the other smirked. "Haldarr came back an hour ago."

_Haldarr?! Oh no!_

"The boss is back? Great, maybe I can finally ask him when I'm getting paid--"

"What the hell is all the noise about?" came a voice from somewhere up front.

"N-nothing, boss! W-we just brought a specimen for you to test..." the orcs stuttered, suddenly intimidated.

A silhouette stepped forward and as it came into clear view, Siana's eyes widened.

In front of her came a large fel orc who looked her up and down with his burning green eyes. The girl's eyes darted across his armor, spotting axes, a whip, daggers and multiple spikes.

"This?" Haldarr Felsworn said as he eyed her with an indignant grimace. "This is hardly good enough. What the hell am I supposed to do with it?! Watch it burn? I told you to bring me one of those wretched elves!!" he shouted angrily, at which Siana's captors seemed to shrink.

"Whatever, might as well see how this works out..." Haldarr grumbled under his breath as he reached for Siana.

She panicked. She gave a scream and tried to run, kicking, punching, but never reaching anything. As Haldarr's hands roughly tried to grip hers, she kicked him in the elbows and he growled in pain.

"Why you..." he said and brought out his whip. Siana's screams were silenced as the whip wizzed in the air and wound around her neck. She choked and tried to pull away, but he tightened the grip and nearly cut off her air supply. Siana fell to the ground on all fours.

Haldarr pulled roughly, but she dug her arms in the ground.

"Come on, human, be good and you won't die slowly," he said with a twisted grin and pulled with both hands, dragging Siana like a dog across the floor. He unwound the whip and she immediately started choking, and then tried to huddle away from Haldarr.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere!" he said and grabbed her.

Even in her weakened state, Siana's mind of a warrior operated mechanically and she half-flipped him to the ground with a technique from her master. This greatly angered Haldarr, and he hit her hard, at which she fell, and he picked her up, her legs dangling a few feet from the ground.

"Start it! START IT NOW!!" he yelled and the orcs around the cavern began chanting something in a harsh, unknown language of gurgles in unison. The animal blood on the floor started glowing and flowed to the fountain in the middle. Then whatever was in it came alive, rays of green shooting out of it, illuminating the whole cavern, which started to shake as if from an earthquake.

"Felsworn... you fuck!" Siana choked, blood trickling down her chin. Haldarr held her to his face as she looked at him with malice and he grinned evilly.

"Any last words, human?" he mocked.

"Go to hell!" Siana choked again, then spit in his face. He frowned and wiped the blood off, then dragged her to the whirling fountain.

"No! Let me go!!" the girl screamed as she wriggled in his iron grip.

"Come on, shut up already!" he said and brought her closer, then to the very edge of the fountain's stone base.

Siana felt as if the blood was freezing in her veins, then blazing with fire. In her mind, she could hear herself screaming in panic, even though her throat didn't produce a sound. She knew that if she came in contact with the horrible energies swirling below, she would die. She sensed a tremendous threat from the fountain she was being dragged to. Somewhere amidst the panic, she felt, rather than comprehended, that her life was lost if Haldarr succeeded in exposing her to the fel rays. Siana wanted to live.

In a desperate last attempt, she managed to pull out one of the daggers on the orc's belt and before he could stop her, she cut a long line across his unprotected wrist. Haldarr's growl of pain echoed through the cavern and mingled with Siana's screams as he twisted both her arms behind her back and finally bent her over the fountain.

"No!!"

She struggled like mad, the vestiges of sanity slowly slipping away as she was forced to look at the glowing green energy in the tempestuous waters below.

"NO!!"

As if sensing that there was a living being above, the energy started bubbling and rising up, as if to consume the girl above it. Separate rays shot out like tentacles and the light got closer to the bared skin of her stomach.

Siana's cries were drowned out by the roar of the crumbling rocks as the ground beneath her feet shook and the dragon growled, flinging flames around the cavern which barely missed the girl. For a second, it sounded to her as if explosives were being detonated somewhere in the distance, but all rational disappeared then, leaving only the horror in its wake as the curling and bending rays of greenish energy made contact with her skin.

A deafening, blood-chilling wail resonated through the cavern. Siana was barely aware that it had come from her own mouth as she watched with wide eyes how the energy seemed to disappear upon touching her body. Appearing almost like it was evaporating, but the girl felt it entering her as her insides were set ablaze. She felt as if everything inside her was burning with a flame that threatened to consume everything.

"NOOO!!" she pushed against the large hands keeping her over the fountain, but they didn't budge an inch. She could feel Felsworn's blood trickle down the backs of her legs, leaving burning lines behind. Inside, she felt the same burn, as if all of her own blood had become like the orcs'.

"AAAAAAARRRGHH!"

She felt no pain, only the horrible burning that seemed to be all inside of her – in her head, in her legs, mercilessly eating away. It reached her throat and her voice cracked.

"G-ghh... GYAAAAAAA!!"

Then she was silenced, darkness enveloping her from nowhere as she lost all vision. She still felt everything, but her body couldn't respond anymore. Her last thought was of Tenin.

_Tenin...you lied to me..._

The noise around became almost unbearable as suddenly she heard explosions from very near to her. She also felt Felsworn's hands on her disappear. She stumbled forward with nothing holding her back anymore, and made an almost unconscious attempt not to fall into the fountain below.

"SIANA!"

She heard an oddly familiar voice scream her name as she swayed to the side and felt her side roughly connect with the stone floor. She lay there, unseeing, and barely conscious.

The girl heard the clash of metal against metal, shouts and growls from around, but it all came as if through a haze, as thick as the blackness in front of her wide open eyes.

She then felt a pair of hands pick her up and she shut her eyes, the faintest defensive reaction of her body. Then everything disappeared.

* * *

"Siana! Siana!"

The persistent voice continued calling her, sounding clearer every time.

"T-Ten..."

Siana felt warmth at her back and realized she was lying on grass and someone was gripping her shoulders. Her eyes still closed, she dared to sit up, knowing that the hands wouldn't hurt her.

"Oh, Siana, thank Elune!" she heard Tenin say breathlessly as he embraced her. The elf had been at his wit's end and had never felt so relieved in his entire life.

"Tenin?" she whispered.

"Yes, Siana! It's me! Oh goodness, you're alive!" he said as he released her and looked at her.

She was awake, but her eyes were closed, he noticed, as his worried gaze examined her body. Her clothes were dirty and torn, baring bruises and cuts everywhere; she had become very lean, her bones prominent, which told him she probably hadn't eaten in days. Her lips were bloody, a dried trail of blood around her neck as well. Her left wrist was bruised and swollen, and the way Siana jerked when Tenin touched it told him that it was most probably broken.

"Sanaha will come now, Siana. It will all be okay, I promise. Please, open your eyes!"

She felt his fingers caress her jaw and slowly, she did as he had asked.

Before she could see him, she felt the abrupt disappearance of his hands on her and she knew he had startled.

"What did they do to you?!" he said with horror as he looked at her.

Her eyes were completely black. No pupil, no iris, no white parts, it looked like her eyes were hollow holes in her face. But that was not all. There was no shine in them, not even the slightest bit, even though the sun was beating down on them. The blackness seemed to swallow all light. Siana looked so abnormal, yet so much like her old self that Tenin startled.

"Your eyes..." he mumbled.

Slowly, her vision was beginning to clear. As if in a trance, Siana looked around her and blinked multiple times, trying to fix the unbelievable images she was seeing. Everything had shifted its colors – the sky looked dark violet, with a black, yet shimmering sun shining high. She looked down at blood red grass and midnight blue trees and unbidden, words fell from her mouth:

"There's nothing alive there..."

She somehow knew it, saw it, there was no living creature that she could see. But then a bird's chirp was heard and she quickly turned to see a bright, yellow sparrow that seemed to glow as it flew above her and Tenin.

Then she turned and cocked her head at Tenin with wide eyes, looking him up and down. He looked just as she remembered, only very worried. But he also seemed to glow with the color of sunlight.

Siana slowly reached a hand to touch his face, her fingers sliding beneath his jaw. Then her face contorted with anger and her hands flew for his throat.

"You lied! Why did you lie to me?!" she screamed at him as she pushed him to his back on the grass and leaned over his shocked face, looking at him with narrowed black eyes. Her hands were weak, especially her broken one, but they were cutting off his air as she strangled him.

"You said you would always protect me, Tenin! You lied!! You promised! That you would always be there for me--!!"

She suddenly swung to the side and started choking.

"Siana, are you alright?!"

He immediately sat up, just to see her double over and vomit. As she coughed and choked, she hissed over and over:

"You lied to me..."

Beyond desperation, Tenin did the only thing he could. He gently placed her over his lap and held her as she vomited. Though she kept throwing angry words at him between chokes, she didn't push him away, and when she felt her stomach stop to churn, she felt so exhausted she just slumped in his arms.

"Oh, Siana... What has the world done to you..." Tenin muttered as he stroked her caked, tangled hair.

Siana's eyes drooped halfway. She felt completely drained and at the same time, so filled with energy she felt as if her body would burst. The terrible burning was gone, but instead of it was the sickening feeling of _something _humming inside her body, flowing as if it were her blood.

The girl closed her eyes, sick of watching her surroundings with her "new" vision. Before she wished it, she slipped out of consciousness.

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**A/N: *ducks to avoid thrown objects* You all probably hate me, but it had to be done! So, loved it? Hated it? Leave a review so I'll know! **


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER XIV**

**A/N: What's up, summer people!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warcraft and I do not profit from this story. So there!**

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The sound of the strong wind woke Siana up. She sat up and vaguely registered that she wasn't lying on the grass and she wasn't in Tenin's arms anymore. When she looked around, she gave a startled yelp. But as she struggled to make something of the obscenely colored scenery, she remembered everything that had happened before she last lost consciousness.

_That is starting to happen to me a lot, _she thought grimly as she looked around and realized she was aboard a zeppelin.

_Tenin must have come with help..._

The girl was sitting up in one corner and noticed groups of glowing yellowish figures around. She guessed they had to be night elves. She also remembered Tenin saying that his sister was coming too, so she called her name cautiously. One of the glowing figures closer to her turned around and immediately went to her side.

"How are you feeling," she asked when as sat on the ground next to Siana.

"Weird," the girl croaked.

Sanaha sighed a sigh of relief, confusingly enough, and threw her arms around her. Siana turned her head to the sky and squinted her eyes.

"Sanaha...do me a favor and tell me something..."

"Anything."

Siana blinked a couple of times, but that didn't change the almost black-purplish color the sky had and the black, yet still glowing disk high in it.

"Is it night or day," Siana asked.

"It's night," Sanaha answered, her serious self kicking in. "Now, a couple of strange things have happened that none of us has an explanation about, so we need you to help us find out exactly how you've been changed."

Siana nodded confusedly, after which the priest told her to describe what she was seeing right then.

"Well, I asked you if it was day or night, because looking at the sky I can't tell. It's bizarre... The sky appears a dark purple, almost black, and the moon seems just black. But I can still tell it's shining, you know?"

"Right," Sanaha said, "And about me? How do you see me?"

"Well, normal. Just that, I know it sounds stupid, but... you glow."

"I...glow?"

"Yes, you glow yellow. Kind of bright, too."

A crease formed on Sanaha's forehead, marring the elf's beautiful features.

Siana then tried to stand up, but hissed when she used her arm for leverage.

"I forgot that monster Felsworn broke it... Sanaha, could you...?" she said, stretching the broken hand to the priestess.

"No, I'm afraid I can't..."

"What? Why?" Siana asked.

Sanaha bit her lip nervously and the girl's hollow black eyes widened.

"Well, I tried, Siana. Actually, _we _tried."

"Who's 'we'?"

"Me and just about anyone with even next to no knowledge of healing on this craft."

Siana went from confused to angry so fast it frightened her, but the words were out before she could even think them.

"What do you mean you tried? Why couldn't you heal me?"

"You body just...absorbs any energy, healing or otherwise, that is directed at it. We tried everything while you were out. You didn't even wake up, nothing worked. The energy just disappears somewhere inside you as soon as it touches your skin." Sanaha demonstrated that, her palm glowing with a healing spell. She cast it, the energy flew towards Siana, but she didn't feel anything. The energy reached her and, just as Sanaha said, it disappeared upon touch. It appeared as if it bounced off Siana's skin, but she could feel herself absorbing it. However, it never reached its destination.

The girl jumped to her feet, looking with terror to the place where the mana had disappeared. She touched it, but it felt the same – still hurt.

"No, there has to be something, i-it can't just evaporate inside me, could it?" She concentrated hard, but couldn't sense anything different than the recent feeling of her body being so strong and full it would explode.

"I don't get it myself, nobody does, we'll have to bring you to Priestess Whisperwind, she has to be able to help—"

"M-maybe you did it wrong!" Siana cut her off, starting to seem frantic. "You did it wrong, didn't you? What are you trying to do, cripple me?" she was shouting now, and a few of the elves looked up to her, but then pretended they hadn't seen anything.

"Siana, please, sit and calm down, it's not--"

"Leave me alone!" the girl said harshly, "I want to be alone." It was not very possible given the small zeppelin, but she settled for going to the other side, and huddling in the unoccupied corner.

_What did they do to me?! What kind of freak did they turn me into?! This is not happening..._

She squeezed her eyes shut, but when she opened them, the view of the glowing yellow figures did not change. She felt as if the black moon was mocking her. She bore her gaze in the wooden floor.

"Siana...?" she heard Tenin's quiet voice from beside her.

At the sound of it, she was overwhelmed with a desire to kill him, so strong it was almost uncontrollable. Siana didn't say anything to him, just grit her teeth, got up and went to the other side of the zeppelin where a couple of priestesses were apparently trying to save a survivor. She came next to them and grimly looked at the unconscious body between them.

"It doesn't work! Try a more potent spell!"

"I'm trying, but his breathing has stopped!"

Their palms glowed different colors from their shimmering yellowish figures as they both tried different spells to try and heal the survivor, but it all seemed pointless to Siana, and when she glanced at the body again, she understood why. It had no glow. It appeared like normal figures had appeared before Siana had got her new vision, and she knew that he was dead.

"Don't waste your mana, he's already kicked the bucket," she told the priestesses coldly, then went over to the railing to stare at the scenery below.

The two healers exchanged a glance, then covered the corpse.

Apparently, everyone on board had heard the scene and they were all looking at Siana, all conversations having died down.

Siana narrowed her eyes – she could feel them staring at her back and it infuriated her. She whirled around and threw everyone a glance with her black eyes. The elves all averted their gazes.

The wind picked up, scattering the girl's dirtied locks.

_* * * _

The return to Darnassus had been incredibly tense at best. The elves were on pins and needles around Siana, who had at one point passed out asleep and nobody had been able to wake her up until she had got up herself when the zeppelin was about to land. She hadn't said a word to anyone, but she had barely held from protesting when Inriel Silverleaf had ordered her to walk with the Nuada siblings. Siana still felt inexplicably angry at Tenin and wanted as far away from him as possible. However, she had given into too many unexplained outbursts to risk another. She just complied.

"Ugh..." she slumped to her knees as soon as they set foot in Rut'theran.

Sanaha and Tenin were instantly at her sides. "What is it, Siana," the girl heard Sanaha ask worriedly.

"The pressure... I've never noticed it before, but it's so strong... My head feels like it's going to explode," she said, ignoring Tenin. The priestess helped her up and snaked her hand around hers, in case the girl fell again.

They walked a few miles in relative silence, the only noises being occasional hushed words and the sound of Siana dragging her feet.

"Damn harpies..." she muttered.

"What?"

"Harpies," Siana told the priestess, "Five hundred feet to our left, can't you see them?"

"Are you sure," Silverleaf chimed in.

"Are you blind or something?!" Siana snapped at him, "Seven of them, waiting in ambush, one is a queen. Now let us take care of them before someone gets hurt!"

"_You _are not going anywhere," he said calmly.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"That's an order. Tenin?" Silverleaf brushed her off and turned to Tenin, who nodded and took off with three warriors and one of the priestesses.

"Why don't you let me fight?! What am I, some--"

"Can it, human!" Silverleaf lost his patience. "Right now even you aren't sure what you are, and I think it's best you be a good girl and stay behind until we figure that out."

Siana narrowed her eyes with anger, but did her best to control herself.

_This feels strange. I've never had such weak self-control... They must have messed me up in more ways than one._

Tenin and his group caught up when the gates of Darnassus were coming into view.

Silverleaf raised his hand and group stopped. Siana looked at him with surprise as he came and put his arm on her shoulder.

"Wait here, I'll go talk with the guards. They might not let you inside the the city."

The girl watched worriedly him go up to the guards.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this," Sanaha told her calmingly. "They will help--"

"Keermissar!"*

She was cut off by the voices of a couple of guards. Siana instantly whirled her head around and her stare froze onto their target.

Besides Siana, no one could yet see the two guards and the priest around the corners of the gates who had caught an intruder and were currently trying to eliminate him. Siana paid no attention to the three yellowish figures spinning and fighting, but concentrated on the bright green one which was fighting back.

"Siana, wait--!" Sanaha was too late to stop the girl who escaped her arms and dashed toward the battle. No thoughts in her mind, just the feeling that she had sensed what she had been looking for for a long time. When she got close, she saw him – a blood elf rogue, currently caught between the two female night elven guards and immobilized as the priest in front of them was preparing to finish him. Those were the rules of Darnassus concerning blood elves – none were spared, none could enter the capital, even for execution or questioning, for their constant need for energy could prove disastrous.

Siana was feeling the same hunger right now. She wanted to absorb the fel energy flowing within the blood elf's body, she wanted to suck him dry. She hurled herself forward, pushing the priest and guards out of the way, and took the blood elf down.

Then, in front of her group's horrified eyes, she latched onto him like a parasite. Her hands absorbed his energy wherever they touched as the blood elf struggled uselessly.

"K-Kim'jael--!"** he hissed as he tried to get the girl off himself.

Beside them, the guards were shouting, but no one knew what to do.

"Do it! Do it now!" one screamed.

"No! You might hit the girl!"

Siana heard nothing, only the hastened thumping of her own pulse in her ears and she felt the blood elf's life drain away as she drained him of the demonic energy that had given him new life. She wanted it, needed it so much it was uncontrollable, but at the same time it felt disgusting. But she couldn't stop herself and with a jerk of her arm she broke his neck.

A strangled sound escaped his throat as he fell limp below Siana, his struggling ceased for good. When she felt that, she jumped off the body and stumbled backwards, her eyes wide with realization at what she had just done.

Her back connected with a tree and she clung to it for support, unable to stand on her suddenly violently shaking legs. She drew ragged, labored breaths and fell down in front of the stunned night elves.

No one had yet made a move, but now Tenin pushed his way through them and rushed to Siana's side.

"Siana, what the hell happened?! Are you alright?"

"I-I don't know," she stuttered, the shock of her own actions so strong she had forgotten her unexplained disdain toward Tenin. He slowly brought her up to her feet.

_I don't understand! What possessed me to do such a thing?! And just how the hell did I do it? I needed the energy, so bad, but it feels so repulsive..._

Without warning, she doubled over in his arms and spit, her stomach twisting violently. But she had nothing to throw up, and could do nothing but writhe as her body was seized with convulsions.

"Someone help me restrain her!" she heard Sanaha shout and then felt several pairs of hands on her body.

"That won't be necessary, I can take care of her."

The hands released her at the sound of Tenin's voice. "Are you sure?"

The elf nodded.

"We need to get her to Priestess Whisperwind as soon as possible, so get moving," Sanaha urged the group on.

Siana felt as if she had returned from another world as she stirred in Tenin's arms. She almost felt like herself again, with the difference of the now familiar feeling of massive strength, but also... something more, a new, unfamiliar feeling of satiation that she didn't like one bit. But the good thing was that her emotions were in check now, she felt calm, as calm as she hadn't felt in a long time. She looked up at Tenin.

His face seemed troubled. Was he worried about her? It seemed quite logical... Why had she been so unnerved by him before?

As Siana pondered that, memories flooded her mind, unbidden, of the several weeks before her mission, when she had noticed his behaviour around her change, of that night he had kissed her. All of it was so recent, but at the same time felt like it had been years ago. With almost no thought of it, Siana's hands found themselves around Tenin's neck. When he felt it, he looked down to find her looking at him with her black eyes strangely. This was not the menacing glare she would give him when he looked her way, it was more like a curious, studious look that reminded him of the way the girl had been before she was changed, but it was also so _different_ and so penetrating that it made him want to look away.

The group stopped and Siana knew they had reached the Temple. When they went in, the girl could hear Sanaha urgently speaking from the upper level, but she couldn't make out anything.

A guard came down the stairs and made a beckoning motion to her.

"Priestess Whisperwind wants to see you."

"Let me down, Tenin," Siana told the elf holding her. He gently set her down and kept his arm around her supportively as they climbed slowly to the upper level.

Siana saw Tyrande and Sanaha with worried expressions turned towards her, and when the High Priestess went next to the girl, she saw the sentinels and priestesses tense.

"How are you feeling," Tyrande asked with a motherly, yet cautious concern that told Siana the High Priestess was already informed of her condition.

"Better now."

"Alright. First, Siana, I want you to know that I am truly sorry about what happened. Had I known there was such risk involved in the mission, I would have organized things differently."

"It's... not your fault. We ourselves were unprepared too."

"I also want you to know that I will make sure we do everything in our power to help you. Of course, I am already aware of what has happened, but now I want to hear it from you firsthand. If you want, Sanaha and Tenin can stay..."

"No, you should leave," Siana turned to the siblings, "There is nothing new for you to hear anyway."

"If you wish," Sanaha said and took Tenin, who was reasonably less enthusiastic than her about leaving Siana.

When they were both gone, Siana told the High Priestess everything – the place, the prison, the source of the energy, and she also told her of the way she had been changed. As she spoke, the night elven leader's thick brows were knitting closer and closer together.

"Even though the place of the ritual was destroyed, remains of the fel energy must still be present around the area. Not to mention the fel orc's movement was never put to an end. It's too dangerous now for anyone to go there, even with a solid backup. We'll mark the region as highly hazardous and let the Alliance know. If anything, at least this mission helped clarify that we are not ready to deal with the enemy yet."

She sighed. "I want to let you in on something that is quite well kept. I feel that you have the right to know, because if it had not been for the information you provided those few years back when you showed up here, we would still be unaware of many threats. You enlightened us that both the Horde and the Scourge were building armies and preparing for a heavy assault on the Alliance. Do you remember that?"

Siana frowned and tried to recall. It all seemed very distant, but she remembered the information vaguely.

"I think so. Wait, when I think about it, according to the information, the attacks were supposed to have been launched a year ago!"

"Exactly. However, it seems that the Legion has caused enough trouble to postpone those plans considerably. To such a degree, actually, that we can be almost grateful to the wretches. Had the Horde and Scourge attacked when they were supposed to, we would not have been able to fight back. At best, we would have managed to take care of some of them, but as we are all enemies amongst ourselves, our home would have turned into the largest battleground. Nothing would have been left. But the Legion has been steadily increasing the number of operations involving the gathering of more forces. Many from the Horde and Scourge have fallen prey to the fel energies the Legion wields. But so far they have only experimented with the orcish race and don't dare to approach the Alliance. That is actually the reason why there haven't been any missions about dealing with Legion activity. The mission you went on was the first after quite a while."

"Priestess Whisperwind, I am honored that you have deemed me worthy of knowing this information. But I understand now that it is vital, and I am not sure if I could be trusted right now," Siana said grimly with her gaze buried in the ground. Tyrande put her arm to the girl's shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't despair. Despite what the felbloods did to you, you are still you, and remain a valuable part of our forces. They wanted to change you into another of the monstrosities they exert control over, but evidently, they have failed. Because you didn't let them. You are strong, girl. Remember that."

She released Siana's shoulder and the girl understood it was time to leave. She bowed respectfully as she always did in the presence of the High Priestess and made her way to the lower level.

She found Sanaha and Tenin waiting for her. When she went next to them, one of the priestesses came.

"Priestess Tyrande has ordered that you are not to be given any missions for the time being. We would like to observe you and in order to help, we will likely summon you here. You are to come immediately. Is all clear?"

Siana grit her teeth and clenched her fists, but nodded.

When they exited the Temple, she gave vent to her anger.

"I shouldn't have agreed to this! They never told me they were banning me from my job! What am I supposed to do now? Lay around all day?"

"Hey, they didn't ban you from training, did they," Tenin said, trying to brighten up the atmosphere.

"Hmph." Siana frowned, and for a small moment almost seemed like her old self. "I guess, but still, I'm stuck here," she grumbled.

"Even without the orders, you would still be stuck here at least for a couple of days, girl," Sanaha said firmly. "Seeing as we can't heal you, the least we can do is make sure that you leave less for your body to rebuild on its own."

Siana looked at her menacingly with narrowed black eyes, then bore her gaze in the ground.

She allowed her thoughts to run freely as she walked. Then she felt sorry for that, as the first thing that came to her was that she had purposely left out the incident with the blood elf out of her story for Tyrande. She could not be sure whether the High Priestess was informed of that as well or not, but something told her that people should know as little about that as possible.

Meanwhile, the had reached the house. Without another word, Siana stumbled to her room and threw herself on the bed. Before the siblings could walk the few steps to check on her, she was out.

Tenin was the forced to listen to his sister's worried tirade about how Siana should have at least eaten something. He let her talk, but then was overcome by his own worries for the girl, which reached a lot further than her nutrition.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

**A/N:**

***Keermissar – Darnassian spell word which causes starfall**

**** Kim'jael – Thalassian word meaning "little rat". I am sure some of you might be reminded of something, heh.**

**This chapter was quite difficult to get out, but at least it's done and things can move on. That said, I would like to take a moment to clarify some things. There are quite a few errors in this story, understand it any way you want, but I purposely left them here, plus, I don't have a beta and I don't think I need one. Secondly, as of now, I am not quite sure as to where exactly this fic is going, but then again, this has more often than not happened to me :D**

**Read and review to your heart's content!**


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER XV**

**A/N: Whooo, update! Ain't that a sight!**

**Disclaimer: Do I own Warcraft? No. Do I wish I owned it? HELL YEAH I DO!**

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"Where is Tenin?"

As soon as Siana opened her eyes, the words were on her mouth.

"Where do you think? Training of course!"

The warrior was surprised to hear Sanaha's voice, let alone to actually get an answer to her question.

"Ugh, how long was I out," she asked, rubbing her pounding head.

"Let's see... Yesterday, and most of today," the priestess replied from somewhere in the house.

"Oh... I'm going training. Have you seen my axe?"

Siana made a move to stand up from, but Sanaha came into the room and pushed her back to the pillows.

"Hold on there, girl, you might want to sit on your butt for a while. No training for at least three more days! Besides, you can't even form a... fist?"

Sanaha had been certain that without the aid of proper healing, the girl's broken wrist would take several weeks to recover, even though she had managed to put her bones together correctly, however, Siana stretched like a kitten, both fists clenched, and yawned widely.

She glanced up at the night elf, then covered her eyes with her hand.

"Damn, I hate this! I'll never get used to seeing like this. I can even see through my hand, like there's nothing in front of my eyes."

"Really, Siana, these changes are becoming more numerous by the minute. You should stay here not only because you need rest, but also because someone from the Temple may summon you."

"Honestly, I feel fine," Siana said truthfully, and she really did feel alright. Even the feeling of being full of energy to the point of exploding was just the barest trace. "Besides," she added as she got up and looked around for clothes, "if I'm not here if they look for me, where is the only other place I'm likely to be?"

"I'm really not sure you should be training yet, Siana," the priestess said worriedly as she watched the girl put on her tan leather breeches and shirt.

"It's alright. I promise I'll take it easy for now."

"Just don't come running to me if you break something. You know you are immune to healing spells now."

"Fine, damn it, I promise I'll be careful. Now really, where is my axe?"

"We never found it. I'm sorry."

"Oh... And it was a good axe, too..." Siana's hollow black eyes went downcast. She really felt it was a waste, but because the axe had really been a fine weapon, or because it had been a present from Tenin – she was not sure. Then something on the floor caught her eye. She bent and picked it up – the small elegant dirk she had used to defend her dignity from a certain rogue. She frowned, remembering where she had got it from while she turned it over between her fingers. With her axe gone, something told her this was her next best weapon.

She was strapping it to her belt when Sanaha asked worriedly, "Would you at least sit down and eat something?"

"No, sorry, I really want to get out of the house. But I promise I'll swing by the "Raven's Talon" to grab a bite before I go to the Terrace."

"But--"

The door slammed, cutting the young priestess off and signifying that whatever she had wanted to say, Siana was already away from hearing distance.

"Elune, give me strength to deal with her," she groaned with exasperation.

* * *

Siana was thoughtfully chewing on one of the "Raven's Talon"'s delicious buns as she made her way past the couples of dueling warriors to the trainers' bell tent at the back of the Warrior's Terrace. She licked her fingers and pushed the makeshift door open.

In the dimness inside, a pair of amber eyes glowed, concentrated on a sword their owner was sharpening. Upon hearing Siana's entrance, the eyes lifted.

"Master Find'alar...?"

"Siana? Greetings!"

The night elf stood up and quickly went to give his student a hearty pat on the back.

"I definitely didn't expect you to return here so soon. I... heard about what happened," he finished uneasily.

"Well, what is done is done. I might as well move on and live with it. That's actually why I'm here again. I want to get back into my old routine and try to continue as normally as possible," Siana said quietly.

"I understand," Find'alar said and put his large hand on her shoulder.

Siana had shared something she had told no one else, but once the words were out, it instantly felt wrong, like she should not have exposed her intimate thoughts and feelings.

"Forget what I said. I want to become stronger is what I meant. So do you accept me back, master?"

"Of course, Siana. Of course I do...," Find'alar answered, more than a little puzzled, but still he tried to feign a casual facade. "Now, let's get to work. It's what you're here for after all. And no slacking off!"

Good old Find'alar, Siana mused as she followed him out of the tent. She could always count on him to keep something... only, she didn't want to have to.

"Quit dragging your feet and come on! Tenin is already waiting!"

Her master certainly didn't have a problem reverting to his "normal" self, Siana thought, quickening her pace. Why was it she was about to start regretting she had come here?

She dodged a badly aimed fist just in time and hurried to catch up with Find'alar, ignoring the shouted "Sorry!" from behind her back.

So, she would be training with Tenin again. It seemed so long ago when they had last stood together on a training ground, even though it had been only a few days. Siana was worriedly considering the possibility of having to face him with the intent of killing him and/or having to break his bones on Find'alar's command again when Tenin's voice snapped her out of it.

"Hey, Shala!"

The nickname she had gotten used to over the years was back again, and the girl nodded to him, then came up to the two night elves.

"Tenin, might I ask you exactly how many times I have told you, specifically and clearly, to _not _break the dummies?" Find'alar asked with a rather badly faked calmness. His student looked back sheepishly to what he had been using as a punching bag until a moment ago just in time to see the dummy's head fall with a loud thump, landing next to what looked like an arm. Tenin then turned back to his master and smiled innocently.

"Um, not enough?"

After rewarding his male student with his well-deserved smack upside the head, Find'alar turned to Siana.

"Alright. Here's what we'll do. You may look fine enough to be back here, but I'm not taking any chances, so we're going to take it easy at first. That goes for both of you." Ignoring Siana's irritated "hn", he continued. "I think it's safe enough if we start with a little test on Siana's senses. It will be useful, in my opinion, both because it's what I was planning on having you two work on anyway, and because it will help clarify what in Siana is working differently."

He then produced a black blindfold from his pocket and gestured for Siana to turn around. She did, closing her eyes, and allowed her master to blindfold her. "Tenin will try to attack you, and you dodge. Nothing more, do you two hear me?"

His students nodded.

"Good. Go!"

Siana immediately crouched defensively while Tenin circled around.

The girl strained her ears, concentrating on hearing the movements with her sight disabled.

_There!_

She heard him, but too late. She put up her fists, but Tenin had already locked an elbow around her neck. She pushed his arm up and away, which normally wouldn't have worked against him, but he let her get away from the grip, then swung his leg to kick her in the head. Siana didn't so much hear it than predicted he would do it, as this was one of his signature moves, and quickly ducked, then flipped back on her hands. She quite liked the adrenaline that fighting blind brought, but she was now fully aware that without sight, she would never last long on the battlefield. Tenin made a move for her neck, and she whirled around and tried to punch him, but he caught her fist.

"Enough. Start over. And Siana, try harder," Find'alar commented.

His students released each other and both of them went back to their starting positions. Tenin sighed and stretched his neck. He had been holding back, quite a lot, and it took him a lot of concentration to both do that and still stand his ground against her, but not hurt her.

Reaching under the blindfold to scratch under one eye, Siana opened them both, and nearly gasped. It was as if nothing was covering her eyes. She could see her master's and Tenin's glowing figures and her oddly colored surroundings without no problems at all. A smirk appeared beneath the black fabric. So what if she cheated a little? Tenin would think she still couldn't see, and it wasn't like she _wasn't _blindfolded.

This time he tried to attack her from the left. Her smirk widened as she turned her head in his direction and easily dodged his kick, then in a blur she appeared behind him and he felt her knee connect with his back.

Tenin didn't understand. How was it possible for her to pinpoint his location so accurately and so accurately hit him? He didn't have the time to delve into it much, however, as Siana was already circling him and apparently aiming for his gut. Tenin blocked her, then heard Find'alar stopping them.

"That's enough. Much better this time. Again."

Siana pulled back, the smug smile on her face starting to unnerve Tenin. He got up, and started going to his initial position, but then a thought crossed his mind to surprise her. She was with her back to him, and the elf used the moment to strike quickly.

The girl heard a movement behind her, and the familiar, unpleasant feeling of being caught unprepared which she still had trouble overcoming washed over her. She tried to use the move Find'alar had taught her and flip Tenin over, but he was too fast.

"Gha--"

His elbows pulled her shoulders back and for the first time in quite a while, Tenin had Siana flat on her back. He peered amusedly over her, though he knew she couldn't see him. Oh, how wrong he was.

An irritated growl sounded and the elf received a punch straight in the jaw. He stumbled a few paces backwards and looked up just in time to see Siana stomping towards him, her smirk gone.

"Don't mock me!" she shouted and attacked him.

Find'alar was watching this with increasing worry. Apparently his students had some personal issues to work out, so he figured he would let them do it. He walked away, confident that Tenin wouldn't dare to go all out on Siana and in turn would prevent her from hurting him.

"..And don't hold back like that! You insult me!"

Second thought, was it really wise to trust Tenin to go easy on her? Probably not, but Find'alar had enough faith in his apprentices.

"Siana, please don't get angry. I just won't take the risk of hurting you," Tenin said as calmly as possible while jumping up to avoid a punch.

He landed, but Siana was already pressing her palms to the ground to flip forward, making her favorite move. Tenin knew what was to come. Her feet were aimed straight for his head, but she didn't quite reach her target. Siana had grown tall, especially for a human female, and Tenin thought that even non-elven creatures reacted somehow to the energy of the Well of Eternity, even more so if they were going through a prolonged exposure. But Siana was still shorter than any night elf female, not even mentioning the males. And right then she was not quite able to put enough strength into the flip.

Tenin simply side-stepped her, even though it wasn't necessary as her legs were not nearly high enough to cause damage, and Siana fell heavily on her back. He stopped himself in time from asking if she was alright and rushing to her side, in order not to make her angrier. Instead, he settled for asking a more appropriate question.

"How did you manage to locate and aim at me so easily without seeing me?"

Siana still felt angry enough and wanted to answer something spiteful, but her conscience finally decided to kick in and remind her that she owed Tenin at least a proper answer, if not a dozen apologies.

"Actually, I do see you," she said while standing up. "I see right through the blindfold, it doesn't hinder me at all."

"But that's leather..."

"Apparently, that doesn't matter. I can see through my hand as well. So much for ever being in a situation without being to see." Siana snorted. "Maybe these... changes are not going to turn out so horrifying. I could get used to this."

Tenin said nothing. Somewhere inside he was glad that Siana was starting to adjust and accept her new self, but a part of him was afraid as much as she had been at first.

"So if the blindfold doesn't do anything, then take it off."

Siana reached to untie the fabric, but then lowered her hand again.

"I think I'll keep it. I... don't want to look at myself and see those eyes. Neither do I want anyone else to. And it could serve to fool the enemy. Who would look at a blindfolded warrior without underestimating him?"

The night elf walked up to the girl and said quietly, "_I_ wouldn't."

Siana laughed nervously. "Yes, but that's _you. _You're... different."

He looked at her quizzically.

"Because you know."

Yes, Tenin knew. He knew _her_, in more ways than one. Siana felt like she had forgotten that, and got the urge to tell him that he did, as if he didn't know.

"Because you know... Because you _know _me. And I know _you..._ I know you don't want to hurt me, Tenin, that's why I need you not to hold back. I know you wouldn't hurt me. I know you _love _me."

Tenin wanted to squirm, but kept himself. He felt so _exposed _in front of her then, when she told him that. Of course she would know it, he had said it to her himself, but when he had said it, he hadn't meant it in the way... he wanted her to love him. And the way she had said it, it was like she knew the new meaning the words had to them now.

The elf felt strange, looking at her face, wondering if she was looking him in the eyes, and knowing she could see perfectly. But when she closed the distance between them completely, he was certain she saw just fine.

Siana felt an urge to kiss him. What was strange was she didn't feel at all shy about it, not one bit. She had the same feeling of power, like she could take everything she wanted, like she could _have_ everything she wanted. And she wanted Tenin.

Her hands slid up the hard plains of his chest, not too slow, not too fast, just confidently, and found themselves around his neck, tugging him down to her as she tilted her head up and tried to kiss him.

Tenin was shocked and confused. What was she doing?!

He caught her shoulders.

"Siana, what... I..."

"Shh," she shushed, "it's alright. I know you want me Tenin, don't think you can hide it. I've seen the way you look at me."

The night elf felt extremely uncomfortable. Indeed, in that moment he wanted nothing else than to give her what she was asking him for. It was as if she could see right through him, too. Like she knew everything he thought had hidden from her so well. Or had he?

"Siana, it's not like... I mean, this isn't right...," he continued to mumble.

"What isn't right about it? I want you, you want me. Simple as that."

She tilted her head up again. This time, she didn't even have to tug him down. Tenin gave into the impulse and pressed his lips to hers.

Her logic was crude, but unbeatable.

He noticed that she was far more aggressive than the first time he had kissed her. She nipped his lower lip and he found his hands roaming. One slid to her hip and held her, while the other rubbed across her back.

When their lungs were screaming for air, they separated. Siana, driven on by instinct, immediately dropped to his muscular neck, placing open-mouthed kisses, her tongue darting out to leave a trail.

Tenin let out a drawn out, heavy sigh. He couldn't believe what was happening, or rather, with who it was happening. If he didn't know better, he would have though it was a dream. Her small hands sliding across his chest again convinced him it was not. But when they slid lower, down his abdomen, and started tugging up the hem of his shirt, his eyes snapped open.

He pushed her away, amber eyes widened.

"No! You don't know what you're doing!"

"I think I do."

"No you don't!"

She cocked her head. Even if her eyes had not been covered, she couldn't have been more expressive.

"You have a problem vocalizing your _desires_, Tenin, you know that?"

How did that word even fit in her mouth all of a sudden?!

"No no, I think _you _have a problem. A bunch of problems. You're... you're messed up!" he shouted and stomped out the training ground, leaving Siana alone with a most infuriatingly inappropriate smirk on her face.

"_...You're messed up!"_

Find'alar heard Tenin shouting and froze in his tracks. What was that? Tenin never shouted, and he _never_ shouted to Siana. Before he could make up his mind to do something, his student brushed past him without sparing a glance.

"Tenin!" he called him, but the younger elf didn't even hear. "Um, you're free for the rest of the day if you want... Whatever." The elder elf didn't waste his words any more.

Tenin's head was a mess. By the light of Elune, he didn't know what had just happened. He had never spoken to Siana like that, he had never shouted at her, or at anyone, or said such hurtful things to her. And since when did _he _get angry and storm out of anywhere?

Before he could realize he was running, his feet had taken him to his house. He opened the door, not really knowing what he was doing and ran in.

"Hi, brother, what did--"

Sanaha's welcoming words were brutally cut off as Tenin stomped past her and into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Huh, usually Siana marches in and slams doors after he goes over the line with something...," she muttered to herself worriedly.

Tenin's back slid down the wall.

_What...the bleeding hell...has gotten into her?!_

_You mean, what the bleeding hell they did to her._

_Shut up! I was this close, this close from losing it._

_That's really serious..._

Tenin rarely argued with himself, but now, it seemed everything was turned upside down.

_She knows... she knows I love her more than anything, and she bloody took advantage of it!_

_She doesn't know what she can do to you._

_She most certainly and obviously doesn't, that's why she's doing it! Elune, what if I had--_

"Tenin?"

He heard a knock on his door, but didn't even turn his head.

"What happened?" When her brother didn't answer, Sanaha pressed on. "Come on, stop being such a drama queen!"

Silence.

Damn, whatever had upset him must have surely been _something, _she thought.

"Brother?" her voice was soft now, the concern in it obvious. "It's alright, you can tell me."

_Tell _her? He could tell her anything, but for the life of him, not something like this. Even though he knew his sister approved of his feelings towards Siana, this was just too shocking to share, even with her. Suddenly the warrior decided he needed to get out and be alone somewhere.

"Tenin?"

The door opened, and Sanaha was faced with her brother's dark, unreadable expression. He glanced at her, then tried to walk past her, but she blocked his path. He frowned.

"I'm not moving until you tell me what's got you so shaken! Why don't you just tell me?"

"Get out of my way," he told her with a cold tone she hadn't heard before. Her mouth opened in surprise when he shoved her aside and stormed out of the house. The priestess hadn't moved from her spot when she heard the door slam.

* * *

_Ploink!_

Siana watched the pebble make ripples in the calm surface of the lake. The bright moon's reflection was distorted. The girl picked up another pebble and threw it in. It splashed and sent another set of ripples across the water.

She sighed. She had been roaming the streets for a few hours, going home didn't appeal to her. But neither did staying here. She turned and let her feet take her somewhere, anywhere. And she found herself going to the gates, where the incident with the blood elf had happened. Siana stopped a little ways before the guards, as she didn't want them sticking their noses where they shouldn't.

The girl sighed and plopped herself right on the ground and watched the guards exchange word with some cheetahs. The cats entered the city and transformed into leather-clad night elves. An odd lot those druids, Siana thought.

"Elune-adore," she heard a rumbling, slow spoken greeting from behind somewhere and turned around to see a familiar Ancient waving a branched arm to the passing druids.

Suddenly feeling needy of a barked shoulder to lean on, she called out to him.

"Hey, Renus!"

The enormous creature saw her and took long strides toward the girl.

"Siana! It has been a long time, has it not?"

She nodded and wasted no time climbing his extended arm. Even now, that was a privilege only she could boast.

"I was just finishing my patrol," the Ancient said as the girl sat herself in the fold of his elbow. "So, what shall it be tonight?"

He was referring to the little ritual he and Siana had created for themselves. Whenever she had the time, he took her with him on his patrols or just walking around the city and told her about night elven history. About the Great Wars, about ancient and newer heroes, he had told her. By now, Siana knew almost as much as any one of them.

"I don't know," she said, staring off into space. "Can you just stay here?"

"Sure, truth be told, I am a bit tired myself."

The two sat in comfortable silence for a while, listening to the crickets.

"Are you certain you do not wish to hear a tale?"

"Hmmm..." Siana wondered. Well, there _was_ a tale, and one she had been anxious to hear for a while.

"Could you tell me... about Illidan Stormrage?"

Renus frowned, bringing leafy eyebrows together.

"The Betrayer?! What could you possibly wish to know about him?"

"Everything. When people mention him, they always lower their voices, always have expressions of disgust or anger. Why is that?"

The Ancient grumbled. "Very well. I shall tell you what you wish to know, but he is unworthy of your curiosity."

He sighed. Suddenly, wind started blowing and Siana climbed to his shoulder, where she lied down and leaned her head against the tough bark of his neck.

"Illidan is the brother of the Arch-druid Malfurion Stormrage. Many millennia ago, the two brothers and Priestess Whisperwind were inseparable. That is, until some events occurred..."

Siana listened to the story of Illidan, queen Azshara and her Highborne with quiet fascination. As Renus went on, she was overcome with emotions. Horror, admiration, disdain. When the Ancient finished, she was silent for a long time, eyes turned to the bright moon above.

"How is it possible for one to go to such extremes," she asked finally.

"Many have gone to great lengths for power, going so far as to betray even those they love. Illidan was fascinated with magic. It was what he came to associate with great power. His lust for it became so great it consumed him and those who chose to follow him. Now, his name is like a scar marring the face of our history. However, he is not truly evil. He has also done good in his time. But compared to what he has become, it can never justify him. For that, his people have chose to forsake him, just as he has forsaken them."

Siana went silent again and continued looking at the night sky thoughtfully.

"Power... What is it about it that is so tempting? What is it that is so strong to push Illidan to do the things he did, to push the orcs to turn to the demons and agree to serve them, to drive the Legion itself?"

"You are very young," Renus said patronizingly, "you still have much to learn about the world. You are still untainted, so you cannot understand the foes you slay day after day. Only when you experience the corruption which has consumed them can you truly gain knowledge of them and defeat them."

His words stuck in Siana's mind as she lay in her bed that night.

_But have I not been corrupted enough?_

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

**A/N: This took very long, I know. But from now on it will take even longer, because starting August 18th****, my ten months as an exchange student in the US began. Also, I'll be using a crappier word processor, but that shouldn't be too bad, right?**

**Wish me luck everyone, and don't forget to review!~**


	16. Chapter 16

_**CHAPTER XVI**_

_**After a long hiatus, I'm back with this story again. I admit, I'd lost all interest in it, but now I've decided it isn't fair to it, or to those who've been reading it. So here it is :j**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Warcraft or Blizzard.**_

_Her knees ached against the cold stone floor. She sat in the middle of an intricate circle drawn with blood. A glistening green-black liquid made even more ghastly by the light of the candles. Demon blood. Siana was in agony. She ached to have the blood, to consume it, smear it on her body… But she was patient for she knew something much better was about to come. They would deliver him to her, they were coming…_

Siana awoke drenched in cold sweat. She understood nothing of the dream which had tormented her, but one thing she knew was the hunger. It did not fade as she woke. Worse, it became stronger. Her head was swimming, yet through the haze she knew it had to be sated, or she would die.

Without realizing her actions or controlling them, she rose from her bed and stumbled outside in the daylight.

Darnassus and its inhabitants slept during the day, and Siana had learned to as well. And during the day was when the more secretive operations took place. Tyrande liked to keep things discrete when it came to transporting prisoners, especially when it came to blood elves. Night elves were incredibly unnerved by the presence of their magically addicted cousins as they posed a threat to their society. Teldrassil's moonwells were just the thing to sate the blood elves' thirst for magical energy.

For ill will it was just today that Tyrande's Sentinels had intercepted a group of blood elf assassins apparently sent to dispose of Find'alar. After their capture, no information was revealed so as not to upset the ranks of the warriors. The High Priestess wanted no desire for vengeance to arise within them and interfere with the interrogation she planned to conduct. It was to take place outside the city gates, in the nearby underground prison chambers, the most secluded and least guarded area of Darnassus so as to avoid any suspicion of the prisoners led there. The place was so well hidden, nearly all of Darnassus's population was completely unaware of its existence. The Sentinels liked to keep it that way. They took the risk of the prisoners escaping, but stationing very few guards was the only way to make sure no suspicion arose about the activities which went on there.

Unfortunately, the assassins had managed to sneak past the guards and escaped onto the streets of Darnassus, looking for mounts and food to steal, hoping to get to the portal to Rut'theran before they were recaptured. Tyrande had sent all of her available Sentinels after them.

When Siana ran out into the street, the capital was in chaos. Sentinels clad in heavy armor from head to toe raced about, asking every night elf still out in the day if they had seen the assassins. However, though desperate, the blood elves were not stupid. An elite group of rogues like theirs had made sure to cover their trails well.

As the human stood and blankly watched the scene, something whizzed past her.

_That energy… That scent!_

Suddenly, Siana's heart climbed to her throat. It was _them!_ They were the ones whose presence she'd felt in her dream, her vision, as she now realized. It was their race, though in her dream twisted past their still highborne-resembling forms, who would bring her what she craved.

She could not let them escape.

With newly found resolve, almost brutal clarity and lack of remorse, Siana looked around.

One of the Sentinels had abandoned her nightsaber and rushed in the direction where one of the street vendors had seen the assassins go.

But Siana knew that was wrong. It was a decoy they almost certainly had employed. They would secure mounts first, then food, and the girl knew that the only place in the capital they could be was the saber handler.

She used the ongoing panic to sneak to the Sentinel's nightsaber. She jumped on the great cat's back and took the reigns. With a growl, the saber darted forward, Siana urging him to go as fast as possible. She had to get to that spot before the assassins.

She and her stolen mount rushed through the city. Siana got off a ways before reaching the saber handler. She concealed herself in the shadows and circled the night elf woman. What she was about to do was certain to get her banished from the Alliance lands, but she could not resist the hunger. It was too strong...

"Halt!"

She shouted with the saber handler's blood dripping from her dagger. Three forms appeared around her. The blood elves looked at her with confusion, but that didn't last long. They lashed out at her, but she kept them at bay with a wide swing of her dagger.

"I said stop! I can help you!"

"Like we'll believe that, filthy human!", shouted one of them, removing the hood from his head. His face bore sharp, cold features. He ran a hand through his short blond hair and motioned to the others to lower their weapons. He was clearly the leader of their trio. Siana also noticed their peculiar garments. Beneath their hooded cloaks their chests were bare and covered in strange tattoos, and they wore only simple leather pants. The short-haired elf wielded two curved warglaives, while his comrades carried twin pairs of daggers.

"I can get you out of here! But you will have to trust me," Siana said, her voice pleading.

The assassins exchanged looks. They clearly did not want to trust a human, but they were apparently desperate. They had no choice.

"Come on, before the Sentinels find out you cheated them!"

"Alright, human. What's your plan," the leader asked.

"I can get you these mounts, but you will not be able to teleport yourselves to Rut'theran with them. The portal is heavily guarded. If you conceal yourselves and quickly go through it, I will divert the Sentinels again and teleport with the sabers afterwards. The guards will not suspect me. It should not be a problem to take care of the guards on the other side."

Shouts could be heard from the distance, and the blood elves realized their time was running out.

"I don't like this… But we have no other choice. Let's do it. And do not dare cross us, human, if your life is dear to you. Let's go!"

Following their leader's order, the other two went after him, all three assassins merging with the shadows.

Siana traced them until they vanished, then hopped atop her stolen mount again and met the Sentinels coming her way.

"Sisters! I saw them! They murdered the saber handler! Then they took off back towards the gates! Quickly, after them!"

The Sentinels did not doubt her words and took off, calling reinforcements as they went.

Without wasting any time, Siana took the handler's whip, gathered three sabers and tied their reigns to her own. They growled and pulled at first, but the familiar presence of the fourth, stolen one calmed them.

Siana charged with the great cats to the portal in the center of the capital, shouting to the guards from afar:

"Stand clear! We're going after them! The Sentinels are coming behind me!"

With all the chaos around, the guards confusedly scrambled aside, and Siana rushed with the sabers into the portal.

For a second she felt a weightless feeling filling her body, as if she was floating mid-air, and it was over as soon as it had started.

The human stepped into Rut'theran. She stepped into a pool of blood. They had done it.

Siana looked up into the expressionless faces of the rogues. Their cowls were drawn back and blood was dripping from their daggers.

"I see both our sides have done their part," their leader said with smug satisfaction, but his voice still carried a note of distrust.

"Indeed," Siana replied. "Here are your mounts."

The leader narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to Siana.

"Why are you helping us, human? What do you want in exchange? If this is some sort of attempt to trick us, you might as well say goodbye to your life now."

"I swear that this is no trap. However, I do want something from you."

Siana did her best to sound convincing.

"I think it will do your ranks good to take me with you. Rumors have been going around that your group has grown so weak that even one badly organized attack from the Horde could crush you…"

The blond-haired elf bared his teeth in a furious snarl and grabbed her by her shirt, hissing into her face.

"Lies! Watch your tongue, scum!"

Siana had a hard time keeping her composure, but by his reaction she knew she had struck gold. She had fished out their problem, even though she knew next to nothing of whatever side they belonged to.

"Then I guess you will all be obliterated…", she said nonchalantly.

The leader gripped her tighter, but one of the other two blood elves put a hand on his shoulder.

"Iselas. She has a point."

"Shut up, Finduil!"

The leader, whose name apparently was Iselas, looked back to the girl he was holding, as if studying her. His eyes shimmered with the unnatural bright green characteristic of all blood elves. They roved over her form, searching for something which only he could find, but when they rose up to look straight into Siana's haunting, empty eyes after he pushed up her blindfold, a slight shiver of fear ran through the elf. He let her go and took the reigns of one of the nightsabers.

"Very well, human. Our leader might just have some need of you. What is your name?"

Siana hesitated for a moment.

"Shala."

An elven name, Iselas thought.

"I'm Iselas," he said. "This is Finduil," he pointed to the elf who had intervened. He was taller and somewhat leaner than Iselas, with his longish rust-colored hair tied back. His face bore even sharper features than Iselas's. Finduil wore a belt heavy with what seemed to be a dozen smoke bombs. Despite it, he seemed phlegmatic, almost lethargic.

"Elemir," the third one who had not spoken up to now said. His face was not as sharp-angled as those of his comrades, but he had a strong jaw and the high cheekbones of many elven nobility. His hair was black and short, but not like the buzz cut Iselas sported. It framed Elemir's face, adding a playful charm to his appearance which clashed with his otherwise aristocratic features. He had a whip for Elune knew what strapped to his belt.

"You coming, human?"

Siana looked back at the guards lying in pools of blood and at the portal. Something stirred within her. A pang of guilt. A small pang of guilt. An insignificant one.

"Yes. What's your plan?"

Iselas smirked.

He and the other two blood elves took out identical, faintly glowing hearthstones.

"Simple," Iselas said.

"But what about me? There are only three of these…"

"We will not be needing a fourth one for this, though it is a bit risky. Nothing a deserter from the Alliance can't handle."

Siana shot him a hateful glare from beneath her blindfold, but ignored his comment.

"What exactly does this risk involve?"

"Our hearthstones are connected to the same location. We will put you between the three of us and activate them at the same time. The wave should swipe you to the location right with us. We've done this type of transporting before. However, there is a small chance you may get torn between dimensions. In that case, you'll die."

"I guess you will not be too disappointed if that happens. Let's do this," Siana said defiantly.

The four mounted their wildcats and raced for the end of the pier, a safe enough distance from the portal to buy themselves enough time to activate the hearthstones. They disappeared in the mist engulfing the Rut'theran pier. Quickly they dismounted and sent their mounts back towards the village. Siana made use of the satchel strapped to her nightsaber's saddle. It didn't contain much, but it held enough provisions to last the four of them a couple of days.

At once she found herself sandwiched between three hard bodies. The scent of leather and foul magic flooded her senses. The glow of the hearthstones surrounded the four figures just as the cries of the sentinels began to echo in the distance. In a flash, Siana, Iselas, Finduil and Elemir disappeared from the face of Azeroth.

_Her knees ached against the cold stone floor. She sat in the middle of an intricate circle drawn with blood…_

Siana recovered from her fall and became aware of Iselas's merciless grip pulling her to her feet by her shirt.

"Welcome, human, to the cursed lands of Draenor. Well, what's left of it, in any case."


End file.
